Harry Potter and the Horcruxes' Quest
by loonie lupin
Summary: /complete/ After OotP, Harry decides to run away in order to train to be ready to face Voldemort. He goes to find the one person he trusted as a child: Scott Summers. Sparks fly. Spoilers for HBP and DH. HP/X-Men crossover - Scott/Harry slash
1. prologue

**Title**: Harry Potter and the Horcruxes' Quest

**Genre**: slight AU, crossover (HP/X-men), slash

**Characters**: Harry/Scott, cast

**Disclaimer**: Characters are not mine; they belong to their respective creators

**Summary**: After OotP, Harry decides to run away in order to train to be ready to face Voldemort. He goes to find the one person he trusted as a child: Scott Summer. Sparks fly. Spoilers for HBP and DH.

**Author's note: **Many thanks to **Aoife**, the wonderful beta that corrected my mistakes! If some are left, there mine and mine only.

**NB:** There will probably be an update every two days or so since the story is already totally written_**

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Harry Potter and the Horcruxes' Quest

_Prologue_

The day wasn't going exactly well for seven years old Harry Potter, the term 'hellish' would be way more appropriate to describe the last twenty-four hours he had lived. It had begun at school, during the mid-afternoon break, when Dudley and his little gang of friends had decided to enjoy their favorite pastime, namely Harry-hunting, and the dark-haired boy had had to run away from them. Though he was very quick for his age, his legs were a lot shorter than most of the others' and he had know at once that they would be catching him very quickly; that was the moment when he had wished himself to be away from them and had found himself on the school roof, with no idea of how it had happened.

The teacher, of course, had been livid. Her thought was that, somehow, Harry had managed to climb up there using the stairs, stairs that were formally prohibited from use by children. After thoroughly chastising him, in front of the whole school, she had done the one thing than any teacher in that particular situation would have done, which was calling his aunt.

If he hadn't realized a long time ago that no matter what he said, no matter what he did, Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia would never believe him, he would have tried to defend himself, to tell them that he had didn't know how it had happened. However, he knew that they would say it was what they called his _freakiness_ that was responsible and, therefore, him.

Usually something strange like that happening to him would mean a few days in the cupboard, with two or three trips a day to the bathroom, depending on Aunt Petunia's mood, some food once a day and, maybe, a few belt-slap on the back, depending on the gravity of the _offense_. That day, though, it seemed that it had finally gone too far for them.

They hadn't punished him physically, nor had they made any move to lock him into his cupboard. They had even given him some food to eat, food that he had been too worried to actually enjoy. Even at seven, he had been able to feel that something was coming and, probably something bad for him. Unfortunately, he hadn't been wrong.

After a brief conversation with Petunia as soon as he had come back from work, Vernon had taken him to London. He had never been there before because they had always made sure that Mrs. Figg would be able to babysit him whenever they took Dudley out, as for not risking him spoil their son's fun. He had long ago accepted the reality of that and he had to admit that, even if Mrs. Figg was strange and had too many cats to count, she was a lot nicer to him than the Dursley even had been. 

Granted, he didn't especially like her but going to her house usually mean a few hours of Dursleys-free time and, for him, it simply meant freedom.

However, once in London, things had begun to get very weird by Harry's standard. His uncle had taken him in a deserted street, far from any crowded place. He hadn't liked it much there, but he knew better than say what he had on his mind so he had just kept his mouth shut and followed Vernon without as much as a sound. He almost had to run to keep up with the man but he had known that trying to slow down the pace, even if it was just a little, would have mean that he would really get it.

Once they arrived in an alley where no one was in sight, his uncle had turned, facing him, and bend down to talk to him. He had told him to wait for him at that exact spot; he had something he needed to do and would come back for him later. Harry had been really scared to be left alone in what looked most like a dumpster than a street, but he had kept his mouth shut and had promised his uncle that he wouldn't move a finger.

That had happened three hours ago and, at the moment, the night was already beginning to fall. Harry was looking expectantly all around, trying to see if his uncle was coming but, deep inside himself, he knew that the man wasn't going to come back, ever. He had abandoned him, like his relative had threatened to do numerous times already, if he didn't cease to exercise his freakiness.

He felt tears pool in his eyes but he stubbornly refused to shed them. Nevertheless, he decided that he shouldn't stay there anymore but, instead, try to find someplace safe, where there were more people and more light. The fact that the only thing allowing him to see even just a little the place he was in was the moonlight wasn't reassuring him. A lot of bad things could happen when it was dark.

He walked around for a while, before beginning to get really tired. He was going to stop for the night and just sleep at the place he was but, suddenly, a man appeared in front of him. He took one look at him before deciding that he didn't like him. He had a mean air about him and, without even waiting to see what the man was going to do, Harry began to run in the direction he had been coming from.

He heard rapid footsteps behind him and understood at once, without even having to look back, that the man was running after him. The boy doubted that he had any good intention in mind so, absolutely terrified that the man would caught him, he closed his eyes and wished with all his strength he was somewhere else, somewhere it wasn't dark.

A couple of second later, he felt his body hit something and, with a surprised cry, he fell backwards, opening his eyes instinctively. The sudden brightness of the daylight blinded him for a second but he soon realized that he had just bumper into someone else, making them fell on the ground too.

Not used to be excused from the mistakes he made, were they intentional or not, Harry was sure to be soon punished so he looked down at the ground and began, in a very fast pace, to apologize.

"I'm sorry, I didn't see you. I didn't do it on purpose, I promise. Please don't hurt me, I'm really sorry."

He was breathing unevenly, almost crying, but no hit came. Instead, he guessed more than he saw the person in front of him kneel down.

"Hey, I'm not going to hurt you, I promise," said person said and there was something in his voice made Harry believe it.

Harry looked up as he heard them, realizing it wasn't an adult. Instead, he found himself looking in the blue eyes of a brown-haired boy, probably a little older than him. Seeing the clothes he was wearing, Harry guessed that he was either leaving in the streets, or that he had gotten really messy playing in a park.

"What's your name?" the boy asked him.

"Harry," Harry answered, speaking normally now that some of his confidence was coming back to him, as he sensed he could trust the other boy.

"Alright, Harry, my name's Scott," the latter answered.

Usually, he wouldn't have given his real name but would have settled for an alias; it was surer when you didn't have a home. On the other hand, he knew that Harry had been honest with him, so he thought he could make an exception, especially since he was just a kid, younger than himself.

"Why were you running?"

"There was a man chasing me. I- I didn't know what he wanted and it was dark and…"

"Dark?" Scotty repeated, frowning. "It's not dark!"

Harry shrank on himself. He was afraid that Scott would think him a freak like his family did.

"I wasn't here. Sometimes, when I'm afraid and really wish I could be someplace else, it just happens," Harry said, shrugging. "I wished really hard to be somewhere it wasn't dark and then I bumped into you."

Harry, not daring to look at Scott, kept his eyes on the ground. He had no idea how the older boy would take what he had just say but he at least hoped that he wouldn't hit him. He didn't think that he was the kind of boy that was mean and there was something safe about him, but he preferred not to hope for too much; there were less disappointment possible that way.

"You can teleport! That's so cool. You think you're a mutant?" Scott asked in a whisper, knowing enough about the opinion of most people on mutant to not want anyone to overhear him by accident, even though, for now, they were both alone in the alley.

"I don't know. I mean, I always thought that mutants were supposed to have only one power?" Harry asked, frowning.

Scott nodded.

"There are, yes," he said.

"But lot of strange things happen around me," Harry stated. "Once my teacher's hair turned totally blue."

Scott laughed.

"Really?"

Harry nodded.

"Are you with your parents?" he asked, curious.

Scott's face darkened.

"They are dead," he told Harry.

"Oh… I'm sorry. Mine too. I live with Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia but I don't think they want me home anymore," he added.

"Why do you say that? They are probably worried about you."

"My Uncle took me to London and left me in a street. He told me he had something important to do but he would come back quickly and he never did."

Scott blinked and then his eyes darkened in outrage. How could people possibly do that to their own flesh and blood? He may have run away from the orphanage he had been in because he hadn't liked it there, but he at least liked to think that if he had had any family left, they would have taken him in and loved him. Harry had been with his family and they had abandoned him. That was simply awful and- wait!

"London?"

Harry shrugged.

"Yeah… Why, where are we?"

"Nebraska. We're in the States," Scott answered, not able to believe that the little kid he had in front of him had just teleported himself across the ocean.

"Oh. I guess there is no going back," Harry stated. "I don't know what I will do now."

Scott thought about it for a little while before taking a decision he couldn't logically explain. He didn't like to be around people all that much when he was in the streets; it may have been dangerous for a kid to be alone, but he also knew that most people he could go with wouldn't hesitate for a second to stab him in the back. If he had to chose, he preferred to be alone than with people like that. On the other hand, he found himself liking Harry, even though he only barely knew him. The little boy was nice.

"Well, you can stay with me. I don't like the thought of you all alone in the street," he stated.

Harry had a hard time believing his luck. Deep inside, he hoped that Scott wouldn't get bored with him too quickly because he also didn't like the idea of being alone. He may never have had anyone to really take care of him like a parent would do, at least with the Dursley he had a roof on the head and knew it was mostly safe.

Harry couldn't help it; he finally jumped on his feet and hugged his apparently new friend.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you," he repeated over and over.

Scott hugged him back, a tad bit awkwardly, before letting go of him.

"So, how old are you anyway?" he asked, beginning to walk, Harry trotting at his side to keep up.

"I'm seven!" Harry said proudly. "And you?"

"Thirteen."

From that point in time and for months, the friendship that the two boys shared began to grow steadily. Harry leant a lot about how to manage surviving in the streets from Scott and he would be eternally grateful to whoever had made them meet because he didn't know if he could have made it all alone.

Scott too was very glad that fate had allowed him to meet Harry that day. It was a bit like having a little brother with him. He had rapidly come to consider him as family and he knew without having to hear it that it went both ways. Plus he had to admit that Harry's power of teleportation could come in quite handy.

Of course, up to now, they didn't exactly had time to use it all that much but, with the help of Scott, Harry was learning to control it and he already could do it purposely on little distance. Soon, they would be able to use it to go inside houses or the like, to take some food when they were too hungry. They had already promised themselves that they wouldn't use that power to steal money or objects because they weren't thieves. They would use it for food, because that was their only chance of survival, and maybe clothes if they really needed them.

Still, it wasn't enough yet and Scott had once proposed to take one of the numerous men they had met in the streets up on his offer to gain some money the easy way, so Harry could have had something to eat. Harry hadn't been too agreeable with the idea and had begged him not to do it, saying that he would rather be hungry than knowing Scott had let himself be hurt in order to feed him. The look into his eyes had been so forceful that Scott had never again suggested something like that.

Unfortunately, they still had to eat if they wanted to stay more or less healthy and that was the reason they found themselves running from the cops, having unwisely chose to try and steal some food from a market, without noticing the policeman standing close by.

Scott was dragging Harry by the hand, running through the numerous alleys they both knew by heart now. But even that didn't prevent them from winding up in an impasse. Usually, it was a freeway but the authorities had apparently decided that it was high time for some repair and had closed the street very recently.

Harry clung to Scott with all the strength his eight years old body could muster. He knew that as soon as the cops caught them, they would be put in an orphanage and probably be separated and he just couldn't let that happen. He closed his eyes, hiding his face in Scott's chest, and wished they could be somewhere else.

"Damn, Green-Eyes!" Scott exclaimed and Harry looked up to see what the fuss was about.

His jaw dropped.

"We're in New York," he yelped, seeing the distant shape of the Liberty Statue.

"Apparently," Scott approved. "Why did we end up here?"

"Oh, well," Harry said with a smirk. "I always wanted to see New York."

Scott laughed and Harry took him by the hand, dragging him in the streets, running.

"Excuse me, ma'am," he said to an old woman they met. "My brother and I are a bit lost. We were supposed to meet our parents in Central Park but we took a wrong street and…"

"Oh, don't say anything more, sweetie," the old lady cut him.

She then managed to indicate them the quickest way to the park, within a few sentences. Thankfully, they seemed to be close-by.

"You will find it very quickly. And you, young man, I hope that you will take good care of that little angel," she said to Scott.

"Don't worry ma'am, I will."

"Oh, God, I wish that my two little boys would have been as close as you when they were young," she sighed. "Good luck, boys."

"Thank you, ma'am," both of them said at the same time and watched the nice old lady walk away.

After that, they followed the direction and went to the park, enjoying a little bit of peace while they could, because of all the kids being forced to stay in a classroom during the school-day afternoon.

New York was definitively a good change for them. The city was gigantic and, with the unending rush of people, they didn't have any problems blending into the mass, whether it was day or night. Harry was aloes finally able to master that teleportation powers, though he never tried something as big as the two unintentional jumps he had made.

That control ended up being a very good thing because, otherwise, they may have been dead by the time Scott reached fifteen.

Scott had been having very bad headache for a while when it happened and his eyes had been hurting him pretty badly too. Harry, who really hated having to see him suffer but hadn't had a clue on what to do, usually either stayed with him in the hidden place they had begun to call home, trying to ease up the pain by massaging his forehead and his temples or, if in the cases where it wasn't enough, he would steal some painkillers to give to the older boy.

Though he still had been feeling some pain, even with the painkillers, Scott had wanted to go out that day and Harry and he had been walking around for a while, in the middle of the crow when, suddenly, a red laser beam shot from his eyes. The laser reached the nearby construction site, making unstable to metal construction, unfortunately causing the fall of a large piece of metal. Thankfully, Scott was able to pulverize it with another beam, preventing any injuries on the passing people who had begun to scream.

Once the shock passed, the crow turned on them like one and began to shout something about mutants and murderers. They didn't seem to take in account Scott saving their lives but only what they called a mass murder attempt. It became very clear to both boys that they had to get away from them sooner rather than later.

"Close your eyes!" Harry told him urgently and, taking him by the arm, he concentrated on their hidden place.

Once they arrived, Scott collapsed on the ground and, without getting up, retreating in a corner, keeping his eyes tightly closed.

"I could have killed them," he murmured, his voice strangled, trying not to cry. "God, I could have killed them."

Harry felt the tears well up in his eyes as he looked at his friend and he quickly approached him, wanting to offer some kind of comfort. However, as soon as the felt the younger boy touch him, Scott harshly yanked back.

"Don't come near me!" he cried.

"Scott, I will help you with that. I promise."

"No, Harry!" Scott exclaimed. "You can't help me. You have to go away."

He couldn't stand the thought of that new power of his hurting Harry. It would be too much to bear. Harry had to get away from him to avoid getting hurt, and he should continue his own path. It was the only way he could protect Harry from him, even if it hurt like hell to separate himself from his friend.

"No!" Harry cried, tears beginning to run down his face. "You can't send me away. You ca- you can't."

Eventually, Harry took a few steps back and let himself fall on the ground, beginning to sob in his earnest. He was going to be all alone again. First his parents, then his uncle and aunt, and now Scott, they all kept leaving him alone.

"That's not fair. Everyone keeps abandoning me. Why? What do I do wrong?"

God, Scott thought, that wasn't what he had wanted. All he had wished was to prevent Harry from getting hurt, no to hurt him himself. His throat contracted strongly and he had all the difficulty of the world to hold back the sob that threatened to come out.

"No! It's not you. I…. Harry?" he asked confused when he heard the crying getting softer and softer, as if Harry had been walking away. "I'm sorry, Harry. I'm sorry! Harry? Harry!?"

Scott began to panic as he vainly tried to pat the ground and gesture in the air with both his hands, trying helplessly to locate Harry in the complete darkness of his closed eyes. He knew that he couldn't afford opening his eyes and his total inability to find the boy was scaring him. He didn't want to be alone.

Harry, who hadn't been moving but only trying to get his crying into check, crawled on his knees where the Scott was as soon as he saw the other boy reaching for him. He took his hand, letting him know that he was still there and quickly found himself sitting on Scott's knees while being crushed in a hug.

Scott hid his face in Harry's neck and, as soon as he felt the warm tears wet his flesh, the dark-haired boy started to cry again.

"I'm scared," Scott whispered after a moment of silence, still holding onto Harry as if he was his lifeboat.

"I won't leave you alone, I promise. I will help you," Harry swore, fully aware that, for once, he would be the one who would have to be strong; Scott had been his anchor for so long, he could at least do that for him.

And he was true to his words. For more than a year, Harry helped Scott, becoming his eyes and the older boy didn't dare open his again, too scared of hurting someone in the process. Harry took that responsibly on himself without as much as a complaint. He would do whatever it took to make sure that Scott was alright and never at the mercy of the bigoted people who had decided that all mutants 

were evil and had to be eradicated regardless of what they did and how old they were. He would invent stories for whenever he was asked about why his brother, as everyone always thought Scott was, didn't open his eyes and if he sensed that there was even an ounce of danger, he would teleport them somewhere else right away.

Sadly, Fate had decided that she had been too clement on both of them and, under the guise of an unfortunate and unexpected explosion, separated the two friends for a very long time.

When Harry slowly regained consciousness, he found himself in a hospital bed. Startling, he put himself in a sitting position, quickly found his glasses on the bed table and, after putting them on, looked wildly around, hoping to locate Scott, but finding out that he was totally alone in the room.

A nurse chose that moment to enter the room and smiled brightly when she saw him awake.

"It's nice to see you among the living, Sweetie. What's your name?" she asked, as she took her stethoscope to examine his breathing.

"Harry," he answered quickly before asking what he wanted to know. "Excuse me, but where is Scott?"

The nurse frowned.

"Who?"

Harry swallowed, fearing to understand what her look means.

"There was another boy with me. He is sixteen. He doesn't open his eyes. Never."

"I'm sorry, Harry," the nurse said gently. "But you were alone when you were found. Is Scott your brother?"

"No," he said, looking at her blankly. "He's my best friend," he murmured.

The nurse had trouble handling the devastated look on Harry's face and quickly excused herself, telling him that she had to go and fetch the doctor that was taking care of him. Once she was out of the room, Harry looked around him once again and saw a letter with an address written in a beautiful green ink. Looking closer, he saw it was his addressed to him and took it, frowning.

_Mister Harry Potter_

_Room 432_

_General Hospital_

_London, UK_

Harry realized that he must have been back in England. He hadn't been paying all that much attention when the nurse had talked to him and he supposed it was the main reason he hadn't noticed the British accent. Chasing those thoughts, he opened the letter and his eyes widened considerably when he saw the content.

_Dear Mister Potter:_

_We are please to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment._

_Term begins on September 1. We await your owl by no later than July 31._

_Yours Sincerely,_

_Minerva McGonagall_

_Deputy Headmistress_


	2. Chapter 1

**Title**: Harry Potter and the Horcruxes' Quest

**Genre**: slight AU, crossover (HP/X-men), slash

**Characters**: Harry/Scott, cast

**Disclaimer**: Characters are not mine; they belong to their respective creators

**Summary**: After OotP, Harry decides to run away in order to train to be ready to face Voldemort. He goes to find the one person he trusted as a child: Scott Summer. Sparks fly. Spoilers for HBP and DH.

**Author's note: **Many thanks to **Aoife**, the wonderful beta that corrected my mistakes!

**_Thanks to all who reviewed!_**

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_Chapter 1_

It had been three day since Harry had been back from Hogwarts, still in shock about what he had learnt, and he wasn't sure he had actually slept for more than two hours at a time. He didn't seem to be able to keep his mind from constantly going back to what had happened in the Department of Mysteries and the content of the prophecy that, after so long, had finally been revealed to him

He wondered how Dumbledore could have kept that from him for so long. That was the question that tormented him, along with the reason why he had once again been sent back to the Dursley. Of course, he could understand the need for the protection that the ward apparently provided him but he was more worried about the fact that the Headmaster didn't see fit to keep him in a place where he would be free to use magic, where he could train himself for the challenge to come. He was supposed to defeat Voldemort but how would he do so without any training. It just didn't make any sense.

That particular realization, along with the one that his summer would probably be hell after the undisguised threat that the Order of the Phoenix had addressed to his guardians, made his well-kept illusion snap. During the whole time he had stayed at Hogwarts, he had pretended to be what he wasn't and it was time for it to stop.

Of course, not everything had been pretending. The friends he had made along the way, he had done so because he liked them and for no other reason than that. He had taken part in all the adventures he did because it was in his nature to help others and to try to solve the mysteries that showed up around him. That was him and all him, up to the whole saving people thing that Hermione had accused him of.

However, he was far from being the naïve little boy that was the persona he had invented for himself. Granted, he hadn't known anything about the magical world, but it hadn't taken him very long to find the right books to consult. He may not have been as thirsty for knowledge as Hermione was but, when you spend years living in the streets, you learn rather quickly that you always have to know everything about your surroundings. That was the main difference between what he had showed the world and what he was. That and the fact that he had seen all through Dumbledore's carefully laid plans.

The Headmaster was good at his game, but not that good. He had played as if Harry had never left the Dursley, even though he had known it hadn't been the truth. He just hadn't thought it had changed him as much as it did and Harry had to admit, had he lived all those years with the Dursley, had he never lived in the States, without as much as a roof, he would probably have fallen for the grandfather's act that the Headmaster had pulled since his arrival in the Wizarding world.

On the other hand, Harry still hadn't been careful enough and had fallen into a trap. Of course, he knew that Dumbledore, even though he was a great manipulator and didn't seem to hesitate using that cunning, had never lied about his desire to bring down Voldemort, to do the right thing for the 

Wizarding world. That was why he had naively thought that, with being on the good side of the war, he would never have risked life. He had been wrong and Sirius had paid greatly the price for his error.

He wasn't sure why Dumbledore hadn't wanted him to really learn occlumency, which with some perspective was exactly why he had asked for Snape to teach him. Was it because he had wanted Sirius out of the way because he had to keep control on Harry and Sirius had been a threat for his scheme? Even now, Harry doubted that he would go to such length. The other alternative, that was more probable, was that Dumbledore had wanted Harry to go after the prophecy and either take it or destroy it to make sure than Voldemort would never be able to access it.

The prophecy in itself was the second point that had Harry totally baffled with Dumbledore's game. He had know that the old man had been keeping something from him, something about the reason why Voldemort wanted him dead but it had never occurred to him that it could be something that big because he would have thought that the Headmaster would have wanted him trained in that case. He understood that the man was playing a human chess game but he also knew that the man would go to any length he deemed necessary to finally end Voldemort's existence; if Harry was the one that had to kill him, it was mightily stupid not to train him.

But now that Harry had decided to let his real self shine through his carefully kept mask, there was only one thing left that he could do to ensure that, not only would he stay alive, but that he would get the training he needed to end Voldemort pitiful life: running away.

At the moment, it was night time and all of his curtains had been closed before. He knew that Moody wasn't guarding the house for the time being. After all, Mad-Eye had been on duty during most of the afternoon. That meant that Harry could do whatever he wanted inside his room without risking being seen by any member of the Order.

The first thing he had to do was to decide what he was going to take with him. He opened his trunk and rummaged through it. He knew that he couldn't pack a lot of things, not if he wanted to be discreet, and he could always afford to buy some new things later on. It was not as if he had any risk of being low on money, especially not since he had received a mail from Gringott, saying that he had inherited quite a fortune from Sirius.

He took his invisibility cloak, the Marauders' map, his photos albums, his potion kit and a few vials still containing the remaining potions he had made during the school years. Of course, his wand was still on him and there was no chance that he would let it go anytime soon.

His eyes stilled on a pack of letters, held together with a piece of rope. On all of them was written the name of Scott, but without any address. It may have been stupid, really, but the very first night he had spent at Hogwarts, he had written a letter to Scott, telling him everything about what had happened to him since the explosion and his subsequent entrance in the Wizarding world. He had thought that, maybe, he could have sent it to him even without knowing where he was of his last name, but Hedwig had just hooted sadly and he had understood that it wouldn't be possible. Still, even knowing he had no chance of sending them, he had kept on writing regularly and put the letters in his trunk. The last one he had written had been just after finding out the prophecy.

Finally, he settled on taking them with him. After all, his first objective was to find Scott so, maybe, he would finally be able to give them to him. He wasn't completely sure it would be possible for him to find the person that, even after all those years, he still thought of as his best friend, even more than Ron and Hermione and, if he could, if he would have the strength to tell him everything that had happened. What better way to make him understand than making him read those letters? He quickly stashed them in a box that he put inside his backpack, with the rest of his belongings.

He looked at his watch and calculated that, thankfully, he still had some time before dawn. It was really lucky because he still had a lot to do. However, he wouldn't be able do it alone. He needed some help and, luckily, he knew just who to ask.

"Dobby!" he called out in a whisper, not wanting to either wake his relatives up or alert the order, knowing that the bond he had, over the years, formed with the little elf was strong enough for him to hear the call.

He was right in that assumption because, as soon as the name escaped his lips, Dobby appeared in front of him, ready to do anything Harry would ask for him.

"Harry Potter Sir has called?" Dobby asked. "Dobby can do something for Harry Potter?"

Harry nodded.

"But before anything, Dobby, there is something I need to know. You work at Hogwarts now, but does that mean that you have to truthfully answer all the questions that Dumbledore may ask you, as if he was your master, or can you refuse to if you want?"

"Oh, no, Harry Potter Sir, Dobby is a free elf. He isn't bonded to Dumbledore Sir so he can choose what he want to tell him," Dobby said, nodding sagely.

"Can you do something for me and promise me to never ever tell Dumbledore?"

"Of course, Harry Potter Sir! Dobby won't say a word to Dumbledore Sir. And Dobby's mind is protected against magic of Wizard," he added.

"That's wonderful Dobby. Now, listen to me. I need you to go to Gringott for me and take that letter to a goblin named Griphook. He's the one who greeted me when I first went there. I wrote in this letter everything I needed and dropped some of my blood on it, as well as my signature, to prove it is really from me. Once he gave you everything, I need you to go to a library and find me a book on the Wizarding law in the United States," he said, handing him some money he hadn't used during the past year. "Can you do all of that without alerting Dumbledore and without telling anyone but Griphook that you're doing this for me?"

Dobby nodded excitedly, happy to help the wizard that had freed him from his master's clutches.

"Of course, Harry Potter Sir, Dobby can do that."

Without any more words, he disappeared from the room, letter and money in hand.

Harry then went at the desk, taking a pen and some paper. He may have been running away, but he wasn't going to do so without letting any explanation behind him. He first scribbled a few personal notes for all the friends that had accompanied him to the Department of Mysteries, as well as Remus and Mrs. Weasley, and then wrote a letter at the attention of the Order.

_To the Order,_

_If you have kept your word and come to check on me as soon as three day passed without me sending you a letter, I should have been gone for two day already by the time you read this note._

_Do not worry about me; I've left of my own free will. Make no mistakes, I'm not running from my responsibilities. I fully intend returning one day, when I think the time is right and that I've trained enough to be ready to accomplish my destiny. If you do not understand what I mean by that, ask the Headmaster; he knows._

_As I've said already, do not worry. I'm going somewhere I'll be safe, to the one person I trust the most. You don't know of them and neither does Voldemort. Do not try to find me, you won't be able to and it will make you lose precious time and resource. Voldemort may be for me, but that doesn't mean that you can't stop the death-eaters so concentrate on that!_

_I don't know when I'll be ready to come back exactly, but I will come back. I've put with that letter a few notes that should be given to whomever they're addressed. Do not read them, it won't do any good as I haven't given anyone any clue on my destination, except that it's safe and that I'll be with someone I've missed dearly._

_I hope that all of you will be safe and sound when I come back. _

_Sincerely_

_Harry J. Potter_

He knew that he had said almost nothing, but the principal points were there and it was all of that mattered. They didn't need to know more than that and he knew that there was always a risk, no matter how slim, that the letter could fall into the wrong hands.

He spared another look at the clock and prayed that Dobby would soon come back. All of that had taken way more time that he had imagined, his mind floating from a place to another, and it would soon be time for his uncle to wake up. He had to be absolutely ready by then. He knew that he was gambling a lot in believing that the Dursley would help him with his plan but, on the other hand, he knew that he was offering them the one thing they wanted on a silver plate, so there was a big chance that, for once, they would agree to do something for him.

As if an answer to his prayers, Dobby chose that moment to appear back in his room, a book, a bag and an envelope in hands.

"Harry Potter Sir, Dobby has what you asked him," he said proudly.

Harry smiled sincerely. He was very grateful to have the little elf as a friend. He had to be the most loyal individual that Harry had ever met and was able to do a lot more than most wizards he knew. Plus, the Wizarding world were looking down on house-elf so much that most of its inhabitants would never think of them as a threat or anything, so they could get around without arising to much questions. After all, would even Hermione think about asking Dobby if he knew anything about what had happened to Harry?

"Thank you, Dobby, you're great. Now, I will be leaving England," he began to explain, not wanting the little being to look for him at Hogwarts and wonder why he wasn't there and if he was in danger. "I need to train to be able to defeat Voldemort and I can't do that here. Don't worry about me, alright?"

Dobby's ears dropped like they always did when he was upset.

"Harry Potter Sir won't be in Hogwarts. He won't be seeing Dobby again?"

"Oh, Dobby!" Harry sighed, dropping to his knees. "I will come back. I don't know when yet, but I will come back. That much I promised. We will see each other again."

That seemed to cheer the little elf considerably.

"Go back to Hogwarts, now, Dobby and tell no one what I'm doing. Not even my friends. I'm not sure if they will ask you but if they do, you haven't seen me since last year, alright," Harry told him, smiling.

"All right, good luck Harry Potter Sir."

With that said, Dobby clacked his fingers and disappeared once again, letting Harry alone with his possession. He looked inside the envelope and saw the Griphook had been able to get him everything that he had asked for. He hadn't been a hundred per cent sure that the stuff existed in the Wizarding world, but he was relieved. Not only had he all the identity pieces he would need, but also credit cards for both muggle and wizard money, which was going to be very helpful. He wouldn't have to get back to Gringott anytime soon. And for the few things he needed to buy before the country, the bag, more of a pouch really, contained some muggle cash.

Now, the only thing he needed was to get his uncle to take him to London. And, talking about him…

Harry, with his backpack hanging on the right shoulder, and his invisibility cloak in hand, ran downstairs. Vernon was already at the breakfast table, scoffing his food while ready the newspaper. He looked up when he heard Harry enter the kitchen and literally growled once he saw him with his things out.

"What do you think you're doing taking this stuff out of your room, boy? You know I don't want your _freakiness _in this house!"

"Look, Uncle Vernon, I want to make a deal that will give you exactly what you want," he rushed to say when he saw that his uncle was going to snap at him as soon as the word 'deal' crossed his lips.

"What do you mean, boy?" he asked, interested against his will.

"You want me out of your life, don't you?" Harry asked. "I want to get away from here, from _them_ too. But I need your help. Take me to London and you will never see me again."

He knew that, even though it would mean having to actually do something for Harry for it to happen, his uncle would never be able to resist the temptation to get rid of him.

"I'm taking you to London and you never come back?" he asked, making sure he had heard correctly.

"Yeah. I'm letting most of my stuff in my room. In three days some people from my world will come to see why I haven't written to them. Tell them to take everything."

"All right, boy. I will do that."

"Thank you Uncle Vernon."

And, as easy as that, the deal was made and Harry finally had a way out. He used his cloak to hide himself under to go to the car and Vernon opened the door in the back, putting there his professional suitcase, letting Harry in at the same time. One hour later found Harry Potter in the middle of London, all by himself.

The first thing he did was to find a mall, to buy some new clothes because he just had had enough of Dudley's old ones. He stayed simple and simply bought two pairs of black jeans, along with two t-shirts, also black. He figured that it would be less likely to attract too much attention on him. He also went to an optician, figuring that he would be less recognizable if he was using contact lenses instead of his trademark round glasses.

Once all of that was done, he didn't waste any more time but went directly to the airport the closest from his position. He asked for a single ticket for New York and, thankfully enough, there was a flight with some free seats scheduled that day. While waiting for the departure time, he wandered through London, though he was just too excited to be able to concentrate on anything.

And when the plane took off, the only thing on his mind was that, if he was lucky, he would very soon be able to see his best friend again.


	3. Chapter 2

**Title**: Harry Potter and the Horcruxes' Quest

**Genre**: slight AU, crossover (HP/X-men), slash

**Characters**: Harry/Scott, cast

**Disclaimer**: Characters are not mine; they belong to their respective creators

**Summary**: After OotP, Harry decides to run away in order to train to be ready to face Voldemort. He goes to find the one person he trusted as a child: Scott Summer. Sparks fly. Spoilers for HBP and DH.

**Author's note: **Many thanks to **Aoife**, the wonderful beta that corrected my mistakes! If some are left, they are mine and mine only.

**_Thank you very much to all of those who reviewed!_**

_

* * *

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Chapter 2

For the last few weeks, Harry had been staying in his hotel, not doing much outside of his room except familiarizing himself with the city once again. It wasn't that it had changed all that much during the time where he had been away, but he hadn't had much time to walk around outside for years, what with being either in Hogwarts, the Dursley, the Weasley or Grimmauld Place. He missed being able to go wherever he wanted, without being recognized. Even at Privet Drive, even if they thought he was only a delinquent, people always knew who he was.

But New York, New York was the one place he had been able to call home in the past. Wasn't it strange that the only place he had ever called that was the place where he hadn't had a roof above his head? Maybe that was exactly what people meant when they said that home was where the heart was. He had loved it there, even if it had been a tough time. He hadn't been alone and that was the one thing he always remembered above all.

He had chosen that city because, even though there was a very good chance that the older man hadn't stayed there all these years, it was a very good place to start if he wanted to find Scott. He would, however, need help. New York was a hell of a big place and to find a person when all you had was a first name…. Well, a first name and a mutant power to be more exact, but it wasn't as if he could just go around and ask for someone who was able to send red laser beams with his eyes, not with the opinion that most people harbored about mutants.

He couldn't take such a risk. It would be like putting a bright sign on Scott's head, no matter where he was for the time being. The only people he could chance to ask were mutants and that wasn't exactly what he would call an easy task. Most mutants were trying their best not to let anyone know that that was what they were, or what kind of power they had. Plus, it wasn't exactly as if any of them had the word 'mutant' stamped on their forehead. He would have to use his magic if he wanted to separate them from the powerless humans.

Problem was that he hadn't been able to use magic yet. While he had been on the plan, he had taken the time to read the book he had asked Dobby to buy him. He had looked about any restriction of the use of magic and, thankfully, the United States were more relaxed than England on that regard. Not only were all the tracking charms on wands put by other governments automatically deactivated as soon as anyone crossed their border, without alerting the interested country, but children were allowed to use magic however they wanted from the moment they turned sixteen.

The day of his birthday, Harry awoke slowly from his once again restless sleep. He may have been able to keep the vision at bay by practicing and actually mastering occlumency, the nightmares however never totally left him. He knew that if he wasn't able to soon get a full night of undisturbed sleep, he would probably crash down and maybe sooner than he thought.

As soon as he saw the sunlight outside his closed windows, he literally jumped out of bed. He didn't lose any time before taking a shower and rapidly eating something at the hotel's restaurant. He knew that he shouldn't have too much hope to find his friend immediately but, on the other hand, Fate 

had never seemed to mind giving him a good patch of luck from time to time and, after all the bad things that had happened recently, he was due something good.

Fate seemed to agree with Harry Potter that day.

With his power, he didn't take very long to find a mutant. All he had needed was a scrying potion, coupled with the right formula. Of course, it would have been easier if he had been able to localize Scott directly but, unfortunately, it didn't work that way. He could only either locate a muggle, a mutant or a wizard, but not the person of his choice.

As it was, there was a mutant not very far away from his present position and, as soon as he reached the establishment his potion had indicated, he didn't have to look too closely about who was the mutant, it was more than obvious.

The man had a strong presence; he could feel it as soon as he entered the bar. To Harry, he felt a bit like Moony did, only way more strongly and a lot less under control. Remus had always wanted to stay in control; he was basically forcing the wolf into a cage and only released him when he had no other choice, when the moon was full. He wasn't at peace with his animal side and just tried to pretend it was there.

On the other hand, that man may have had an animal side but it was almost as if the man and the beast had merged together. They weren't fighting for control, though Harry was sure that the best would actually come forth and push the man aside if need were to arise. But, at the moment, it only meant a thing for Harry and it was that the man was dangerous and that he would probably have to use his powers. He doubted the guy would willingly chit chat and help a perfect stranger.

Harry decided not to go to him at that moment. They were in a room full of people and the last thing he needed was something going wrong and create a whole lot of panic. There were too many risks involved, especially if they were both going to use their powers, despite Harry wishing for it to be avoided.

Harry walked up to the bar and asked for a coke. He kept an eye on the man, not even bothering to do it too discreetly. The man was quite obviously a survivor, trained to be always are of his surrounding, and he wasn't going to offend him by thinking that he could get away with watching him without being noticed.

He soon felt the guy's eyes on him and he made absolutely no attempt at pretending he hadn't been caught. As soon as their eyes met, the man got up and made his way out of the bar. Harry threw some cash to the bartender and, after gulping down his coke, he quickly followed.

He was certain that the older man would be waiting for him right out of the bar and would probably not welcome him with open arms either, so he was on his guard. Still, he almost jumped out of his skin when metal claws appeared only millimeters away from his face.

"Now, what do ye want, bub?" the man growled and Harry smirked.

He apparated just being the guy and, as the clawed man turned around, muttered under his breath a spell that created a shield in front of him. He mentally congratulated himself on having taught that particular one to the DA, thus ensuring his ability to use it at a moment notice.

"Just some help in finding someone," he said before pausing, frowning. "A friend," he added as an afterthought.

The man didn't look especially convinced and the fact that he couldn't touch Harry wasn't exactly helping him calm down, even more since the kid's powers weren't anything like he had seen before.

"Why d'ye think I can help you, kid."

"I don't know if you can," Harry sighed and the man could see that that particular thought was bringing him down. "But I had to find a mutant to ask and you're the first one I came across."

The implication behind Harry's words didn't seem to please him a lot.

"Why a mutant?" he growled and Harry almost smiled at that.

That tendency he had to make animalistic noises was proof enough that the young wizard's assumption about having an animal counterpart had been right.

"Because I don't want to put him in danger by asking Muggle all around when I don't have a clue what their opinion on mutant is!"

The man smirked at the vehemence Harry was showing.

"I think I like ye kid. Mind releasing me?"

"That depend. Are you going to hear me out if I do?"

"Yeah, I will."

Harry took a few seconds to determine whether the man was honest or no before eventually releasing his power. The man retracted his claws and made a brief move of the head that Harry chose to interpret as a thank.

"Now what do ye call a Muggle, boy?" he asked.

"Don't call me that!" Harry grounded. "Ever. And I mean someone without any power."

"Most people would call them humans," the man stated.

"Human, mutant, it's the same," Harry said lightly ,even though he was perfectly aware that most people wouldn't agree with him on that; hell he knew that there were even some mutants that didn't believe it themselves.

"Ye're biased, kid. Ye're a mutant yerself."

"If you say so," Harry shrugged; he didn't mind being called a mutant and wasn't going to try to convince the man in front of him that he was a wizard. "Are you going to help me find my friend?"

The man shrugged and lightened a cigar, taking a breath.

"Don't know if I can but I may know someone who can," he said.

Harry had known that it wasn't sure the person he would ask would be able to help him and only the fact that he had no other idea had convinced him to still ask. On the other hand, if the guy knew someone who could help him for sure, that meant the Potter luck had stricken again.

"Who's the friend ye're looking for?"

"His name is Scott," Harry said and saw the man startle almost imperceptibly.

Harry frowned. Did hat man really know who Scott was? Because no matter how wonderful that would be, it seemed just a little too good to be true.

"Summers?" the man asked.

"I don't know," Harry admitted with a shrug. "We didn't exactly have much use for last names back then. I know that his power is a laser light. A red laser light."

"That would be Summers all right. How do I know that ye ain't lying about being his friend? Never heard about ye before, bub."

Harry swallowed, knowing that now would be the right time to be convincing.

"I've… I've got to do to my hotel room to take some things, anyway. Why don't you come with me and you can… phone him, ask him about me. I mean, I…. The last time we had any contact was a long time ago and I don't even know if he remembers me so… yes, maybe you can ask him and if he doesn't… doesn't know who I am, then I will just go somewhere else and go on with my life," Harry finished.

He hadn't exactly thought about that possibility before; he had always remembered about Scott and thought that ii would be great if he could find him but never had he stopped to wonder what he would do if the older man didn't remember him. He supposed that he would have to cross that bridge if it came to that.

"Alright, kid, I gotta take my bike and we'll be off."

Harry, on the other, seemed to have something else in mind and just gripped the man's arm before apparating in his hotel room. He had purposely put the 'do not disturb' sign to be able to come and go as he pleased to avoid being seen by an employee. The man swayed slightly but, to his credit, he stayed on his feet.

"Faster that way. Don't worry about your bike; I'll take you back there. You can… use the phone," he finished, unsure.

The man looked at him for a while, as if he was trying to figure him out. Harry wished him good luck with that. Even he had some trouble knowing who he was half the time. Damn if the Wizarding world hadn't screwed him up big time.

"And what's ye name?"

For a second, Harry reflected on telling his real name but he decided against him. The man in front of him had yet to introduce himself and he really didn't like the thought of telling a virtual stranger his name, at least not as long as he wasn't entirely sure they had a common friend. Once the phone call was made and if the result was positive, he would give his real name. Not before.

"Tell him he used to call me Green-Eyes," Harry said simply.

And if with that Scott didn't see who he was, there was no way that he would ever do. Thankfully, the man didn't comment of it and just got on the phone, while Harry rummaged through his bags. Still, he kept an ear strained to hear the conversation, even if was only able to catch one side.

"Chuck, I need to talk to Summers"

"…"

"Got a kid here looking for him. Said they were friends before."

"…"

"Cyke. Ye know a kid nicknamed Green-Eyes."

Harry did his best to avoid rising his head and look at the man to try to judge by his reaction what was the person at the other end of the line saying.

"'kay, bub. We're coming."

Harry still didn't look up.

"So, ye name's Harry, kid?"

Harry looked at him and tried to conceal the wave of relief that was flooding through him. So, Scott did remember him and, apparently, wasn't against seeing him again. Smiling despite himself, Harry just nodded his answer.

"Name's Logan. Or Wolverine," Logan added. "Ye packing yer stuff and coming with me. Ye've been invited to stay at the school."

Harry blinked. To be invited to live there wasn't something he had expected. He had thought that Scott had just wanted to see him and spent some time with him, not get him to leave at the place he was. And at a school? That was kind of strange but he guessed it could be worse.

"Ye'll see, ye'll feel right at home. It's a school for mutants," Logan said, as if trying to reassure him.

Harry didn't see fit to correct him about his not being a mutant. He would tell Scott, of course, and maybe demonstrate just a few things to make him believe that he hadn't gone round the bed. Then, he would see about telling the others. After all, they weren't exactly muggles so he shouldn't be able to tell them without fearing them babbling around and alerting the Ministry of his transgression.

"And who's the Headmaster?" Harry asked.

"Charles Xavier's the one who's founded the school. Finds mutants, gives them a place to stay and learn to control their powers. Though ye seem to have control. Teleport like that."

"Scott is a good teacher," Harry said and he could just imagine the reaction of the Wizarding world if they knew that someone who wasn't even a wizard had taught a nine years old boy to apparate. "So, let's get going."


	4. Chapter 3

**Title**: Harry Potter and the Horcruxes' Quest

**Genre**: slight AU, crossover (HP/X-men), slash

**Characters**: Harry/Scott, cast

**Disclaimer**: Characters are not mine; they belong to their respective creators

**Summary**: After OotP, Harry decides to run away in order to train to be ready to face Voldemort. He goes to find the one person he trusted as a child: Scott Summer. Sparks fly. Spoilers for HBP and DH.

**Author's note: **Many thanks to **Aoife**, the wonderful beta that corrected my mistakes! If some are left, they are mine and mine only.

_**Thanks to all of those who reviewed!**_

Chapter 3

Scott was fidgeting under Professor Xavier's amused eyes. When Charles had called him into his office, saying that Logan was on the phone and asking for him, he hadn't know exactly what to expect and he had half a mind to hang up without talking to the other mutant, if it hadn't been for the Professor and the half-intrigued, half-concerned look he sported.

However, as soon as Logan had mentioned that someone who called himself Green-Eyes was looking for him, he had almost fallen down on the floor, under the strength of his surprise. There was only one person with such a nickname that would be looking for him and it was someone he had lost all hope of seeing ever again, since that day he had disappeared in an explosion. He hadn't even known if Harry had made it out alive and after so many years…

He just couldn't believe that Harry was, at the moment, on the way to the mansion with Logan, and the stress he was feeling at the moment was almost too much to handle.

Xavier was watching the young man he had began to consider as his adopted son during the years he had been there and a small smile made his way to his lips. Since Jean's death, Scott hadn't been himself, falling into a kind of apathy, not letting show any emotions apart from the extreme sadness he thought he was hiding well but that was obvious to anyone who really knew him. It was nice to finally see him care about something again.

He had no idea who Harry, as Scott had called him, was. He probably could have found out if he had looked into his protégé's mind but he wasn't going to do that. Already back at the moment when he had taken the young man under his wing, he had refused to looking into his head any more than what was really necessary. He had consequently never seen anything about that friend of his. However, he knew that to be able to get along with Wolverine long enough to ask for his help and, even more, get him to agree to give it, he had to be an exceptional individual.

"_Calm yourself, Scott. They will be arriving soon."_

It was a testament of how impatient Scott was to see Harry again that he startled as much as he did when the Professor's voice resonated in his head. He turned to him as he heard him chuckle.

"I'm sorry professor. It's just… it had been a very long time since I've seen Harry."

"Why don't you tell me about him while we're waiting?" Charles proposed, as much to help Scott relax as to satisfy his own curiosity.

"I was thirteen when I met him. He was seven at the time and he had just been abandoned by his Uncle in the middle of the night. We literally bumped into each other and, well, I guess we just hit it off. We stayed together for years," Scott explained, knowing that Xavier would understand what he meant by that. "He helped me cope with my powers, refused to leave even if it was dangerous for 

him. He would always invent excuses for why I didn't open my eyes and there was something so _innocent_ about him that almost everyone believed him, no matter how odd the explanation was."

"He seems to be quite a fine young man. Should I assume he was the one you were looking for when you woke up at the Institute?" Xavier asked.

Scott nodded. Yes, back then, when he had woken up after the explosion, he had found himself in a bed, in the infirmary of the Institute. He had called out for Harry but hadn't received any answer. Then Xavier had come and explained where he was but, when he had asked about another boy, he had been told that there had been so sign of anyone else with him when he had been rescued from the rumbles of the explosion. He had known at once that the chances of Harry having survived without being found were slim.

Just as Scott was about to continue his story, they heard the front door open and close and voices coming the entrance hall.

"I don't see why ye refused to use that power of yers to take us here," a gruff voice that could only be attributed to Logan was saying.

There was an exasperated sigh.

"Because," began a voice with an obvious English accent. "Even if we're invited, it's just not polite to show up in the middle of a house; you use the door. Plus, the garage is at twenty meters not ten kilometers. You can bloody well walk!"

There were a few gasps coming from the students who were rather amazed that someone who wasn't Rogue could talk like that to the Wolverine and still keep all his limbs attached to his body.

"_You should go and greet your friend, Scott."_

That was something the professor didn't have to tell him twice. He may not have been running out of the room, but it was damn close and he made a bee-line for the room where he knew the two incomers would be, just in time to hear Rogue ask Logan in her southern brogue who Harry was.

If Scott was surprised by how much Harry had grown during the years they had been apart, he didn't show it and went straight to hugging him, which startled the young wizard, who was only used to receive that kind of gesture from Hermione or Mrs. Weasley, and stunned the students who had rarely seen their teacher show such marks of affection to anyone but Jean. Never mind his surprise, Harry returned the hug for a while before they both let go of each other.

"Damn, you've grown, Green-Eyes," Scott said, reverting to the use of that old nickname, even though he couldn't see the color of Harry's eyes anymore.

"Well, I'm not ten anymore. It has been a long time," Harry sighed, worrying his lower lip, not very at ease with being the center of attention of so many people, even though he should have been used to it by now.

"You've got your accent back. You went back to England?"

Harry shrugged carelessly. It wasn't exactly as if he had chosen to go back, he had had little say in it after all. Fate had been playing with him, as always.

"I woke up in London a few days after explosion," Harry said at last. "In a hospital. With absolutely no idea how I ended up there."

Scott was going to answer when Harry heard a new voice.

"Scott, aren't you going to introduce us?"

Harry looked at the person who had just spoken and found himself face to face with a dark-skinned woman with long, white, hair. She was beautiful and Harry immediately felt as if she could be trusted. Looking at her, you could guess that she was very serene… like she was at peace with the world, with the elements. He had learnt that elementals wizards would sometimes give that feeling but he knew that she was a mutant, not a wizard, so it couldn't be.

"Of course Ororo," Scott said. "This is Harry… hum?" he turned to Harry who chuckled.

"Potter," he helped out. "Harry Potter. Yeah, kinda the difficulty I had too," he admitted with a self-depreciating smile. "Anyway, nice to meet you all."

"Well kid, ye'll get to know your classmates, since it's a school for mutant, ye'll join classes."

Harry winced as soon as he heard Logan. It wasn't that he didn't want to join them all; they all seemed nice enough and, at least, they didn't know that whole 'boy-who-lived' crap, but there was just a little problem with that plan. A little problem that he, maybe, should have told Logan while they were on their way to the Institute.

"Yeah…. About, that…" he begun, hesitating, only to be cut by a man in a wheelchair that entered the room.

"Mr. Potter isn't a mutant, Logan. He's a wizard."

The tone employed by the bald man was enough to reassure Harry that he held no ill-feeling towards him for not being one of them, though the fact that Xavier was able to tell he was a wizard meant that he hadn't succeeded in his task.

For, as he hadn't been able to do magic for almost a month after his arrival in the States, Harry had done all he could to learn occlumency and learnt it right this time around. For hours a day he had concentrated on that task only and, even though he hadn't been tested, he had thought he had come to a certain level of mastery of that particular discipline. However, it now seemed that the professor Xavier – who was a telepath as Logan had mentioned – had been able to see into his mind, without him even noticing.

"I guess I should work some more on my shield," Harry said with a grimace, ignoring for now the bewildered looks that people wore in reaction to that revelation, including Scott.

Xavier offered a smile to his new guest before introducing himself formally.

"My name is Charles Xavier and, like I suspect you already know by now, this is my school where, may I add, you're more than welcome to stay even if you aren't a mutant. And do not worry yourself about your shield; it's strong enough that I would be hard pressed to get through it even if I wanted to."

"Oh," Harry said and then frowned. "So, how do you know I'm a wizard?"

"No one aware of the Wizarding World can ignore who you are Mister Potter," Xavier said with a smile.

Harry's jaw dropped as people around them where trying to find out what was going on and where the conversation was leading. Also, why did the Professor mean by Wizarding world?

"You're bloody joking?" Harry asked with a groan. "Don't tell me that all of that has reached this side of the ocean!"

Xavier made a compassionate face, understanding that Harry didn't like the fame he had gained. He had, of course, heard the stories about the infant that had defeated the Dark Lord terrorizing the United Kingdom that cold October night fourteen years ago. He was also aware that people had hailed him a hero, as the world had been mourning the loss of his parents. On the other hand, he didn't know the details since he had never been one to take that much interest in the Wizarding world to begin with. Of course, he found it interesting but he had more than enough on his plate with the 'muggles', as they were called by wizards, and mutants, especially as he wasn't a wizard himself.

"Do not worry yourself, Mister Potter. My knowledge ends with what has been told by the newspaper about that Halloween night," Xavier said amiably, avoiding any mention of his parents' murder, knowing that Harry wouldn't appreciate such a thing to be revealed in front of so many strangers.

Harry nodded, relieved.

"Call me Harry, just Harry," he said.

He then turned to Scott but was cut off by Logan before he even had time to open his mouth.

"So what's this thing ye can do, kid?"

Harry reflected for a second, wondering if Logan was asking him to tell about what were his powers in general when he remembered that he had actually used apparition when he was with the feral.

"Ah the teleportation thing!" he exclaimed, looking at Scott with a big smile. "And wouldn't have it been way easier if I had known about magic back then? Anyway, we call it apparition," he shrugged.

"You hadn't known about magic?" Scott asked.

When he had heard Xavier telling Logan that Harry wasn't a mutant but a wizard ant that the latter hadn't denied it, he had been hurt to know that his friend had hidden such a thing from him and had let him believe that he was a mutant when he knew it wasn't the truth.

"Well, if I had known about it, I would have told you," Harry answered, rolling his eyes but making sure that Scott understood that it was nothing but the truth, not having missed the brief flick of relief that had crossed his friend when he had admitted his past ignorance about his nature.

Xavier, however thin his magical knowledge was, was aware of most magical laws and couldn't help commenting on Harry's apparently abilities at apparating.

"I had come to understand that the legal age to attempt to learn how to apparate was seventeen and thus because of the level of concentration required, as well as the consequent risks incurred by a faulty tentative."

"What?" Scott asked, not believing what he was hearing. "What risks?"

"Well, it's not if I had any way to know about that pesky little law back then. Plus, I had a very good teacher," Harry said, using his charm on Scott to try to make his forget the professor's comment about risks.

"So what else can you do?" a guy about his age asked. "Bobby Drake," he added when Harry looked at him questioningly, while Scott was repeating his previous question.

"Lot of things, but it's kind of difficult to explain. There are different domains in magic," he admitted. "And the risks are not that bad," he added for Scott's benefit.

Scott didn't look convinced but let it go for the time being.

"Can you do a demonstration," a girl asked and as Scott was going to open his mouth to answer at Harry's place, Xavier intervened.

"Kitty, why don't we let Harry get installed and take some rest, now? I'm sure that he will be more than willing to show you what he can do tomorrow morning, aren't you?"

Harry just nodded, showing his agreement.

"Now, Scott, why don't you show Harry where he can sleep? I'm sure the both of you have a lot catch up with," the Professor said.

"Of course, Professor," Scott approved.

"Thank you very much for your hospitality, Professor," Harry thanked, looking at the man in his eyes.

Harry then lowered his mind shield and connected to Xavier, showing him the sincerity of his words: _I don't want to hurt any of them_. And Xavier, convinced by the truth that he could see behind the words only gave Harry a real smile.


	5. Chapter 4

**Title**: Harry Potter and the Horcruxes' Quest

**Genre**: slight AU, crossover (HP/X-men), slash

**Characters**: Harry/Scott, cast

**Disclaimer**: Characters are not mine; they belong to their respective creators

**Summary**: After OotP, Harry decides to run away in order to train to be ready to face Voldemort. He goes to find the one person he trusted as a child: Scott Summer. Sparks fly. Spoilers for HBP and DH.

**Author's note: **Many thanks to **Aoife**, the wonderful beta that corrected my mistakes! If some are left, they are mine and mine only

_Chapter 4_

Scott showed Harry the room that would be his from then on, just to let him put his backpack in, before leading him to his own one. There would be time to help Harry finish moving in later, for now he just wanted to get to know his friend again because, apparently, he wasn't the only one whose life had changed so much in the last five years.

While they were walking, he couldn't help noticing how different from the ten years old boy he had been he was. Of course, it was to be expected. However, it wasn't only that he had grown up, he also looked like he had the weight of the world on his shoulders and Scott was ready to bet that it had something to do with the Professor's comment about everyone aware of the Wizarding world knowing who Harry was.

"If there is something you're wondering, Scott, you know you just have to ask me," Harry said, feeling his friend's eyes on him even though he couldn't see them through the ruby visor.

He had had a moment of surprise about that when he had seen Scott but it hadn't been that difficult to guess it was to keep his power in check. After all, Harry knew better than anyone how destructive it was once unlashed as he couldn't control it; he had seen it happen. And he had to admit, that had to be better than keeping his eyes closed all the time.

"I've got a lot of questions, Harry. If I asked all of them, you would probably try to gag me," Scott joked, admitting his curiosity. "Come in," he invited as soon as they arrived in front of the door.

Harry put the box he had retrieved from his backpack on the desk before moving to sit cross-legged on the bed. He had found out during his meditation time that he was actually very comfortable in that particular position and was now automatically assuming it whenever possible.

"You know, I've written to you," Harry said out of the blue as Scott sat down beside him. "Not that I actually could send the letters, mind you, but I've written."

He had added the last part because he had seen Scott ready to speak out, to defend himself about not having answered.

"When I arrived at Hogwarts, the school, I learnt that they wizards used owls to send their mail. They just needed to give the name of the person they were writing to for the owl to find them. So I wrote a letter and tried to send it with Hedwig but… well, she couldn't do it, not without a full name."

Scott nodded. He couldn't understand that particular problem himself. He as well had tried to look for Harry and, well, maybe he should have tried his luck with the Professor, explain to him about his friend but, somehow, something had held him back. Deep down, he had thought that life would be easier for Harry without him.

Of course, now he knew that even if he had asked Xavier, there was a very slim chance that he would have had the capacity to help him. Since Harry wasn't actually a mutant, it was more than probable that Cerebro wouldn't have been able to find him.

"Hedwig?" he asked, wanting to keep on the conversation.

"My owl. She should… she should arrive here soon; she always knows where I go. You know, I should really give you these letters," he added after a pause.

Scott blinked.

"Letters, as in plural? You wrote more than one?"

Harry shrugged.

"I know, it's kinda stupid. I mean, I knew I couldn't send them to you but, yet, I still kept on writing them. I'm… I'm really not that good at talking with people, letting them know what's going on in my mind, what I'm feeling. That's something my friends reproaches me. But, writing these letters, it was a bit like keeping a diary, a way to put what was going on in black and white."

"Well, I'll be glad to read them," Scott smiled, understanding that it would be a unique chance for him to really get to know that new Harry, to know about what he had lived through.

They stayed silent for a little while, before Harry asked the question that had been on his mind since the moment he had seen his friend again.

"What happened, Scott?" he gently probed.

Scott frowned, not being sure to understand the question. Was Harry talking about the day of the explosion? But Harry seemed to know what he was thinking, because he shook his head.

"I don't mean what happened that day. Quite frankly, I'm not sure we will ever know for sure, but I wouldn't be surprised if it had something to do with my Headmaster; he seems very intent on controlling every single aspect of my life. But, I shouldn't accuse without proof."

Harry paused for a second, reflecting on how to explain himself.

"That that really wasn't what I meant. I- it may have been a while since we have seen each other, but I still know you and don't need to see your eyes to know how you're feeling. Plus, I think that the whole occlumency thing make me more perceptible about others' feeling. You're hurting pretty badly at the moment," Harry said calmly.

Scott had absolutely no idea about what occlumency was but, at the moment, he couldn't have cared less about it. Since that day in the jet, he had been trying to hide the sadness and despair he was feeling behind a mask of normalcy because he couldn't let the student see him as weak, not when he was supposed to protect them. He was, of course, aware that the Professor wasn't fooled but, seeing that the man could literally get into his head, it wasn't that surprising. For Harry to know, though, and after so little time, he couldn't have been doing a good job.

"My… lover died a few months ago," he revealed. "She was… she was great. I think you would have liked her. Jean, she did like you, you know. She was a telepath and we shared so much that she had almost a free pass to my mind. She saw a lot about you and she said that she would have liked to meet you."

"I'm sorry, Scott," Harry murmured, knowing only too well where the older man was coming from.

"She died to save us… to save me and I just keep thinking that I should have done something… something differently and she would still be alive."

"Yeah, I can understand that feeling," Harry said, unable to believe how similar their respective experiences were.

"No you don't!" Scott exclaimed, raising his voice and Harry used the wand he still had at the waistband to cast a quick silencing spell.

It wasn't anything too fancy, not with so little concentration and without saying the words out loud, but it should be just enough to keep their conversation from reaching the students' ears.

"You may have lost your parents, but you don't know what it's like to see the person you love more than anything die because of you!"

Harry felt a surge of anger coursing right through him but it subsided as quickly as it came. His occlumency training came in remarkably handy to help him control his feelings. Plus, he knew only too well what Scott was going through to be mad at him for saying that. God knew that he had said worse things to his own friends both after Cedric's and Sirius' death. Thankfully, in that last case, Luna had been able to get through him in her own odd way and he had realized quickly enough how unfair he had been to those who were just worried about him.

For a few days, the time for him to get to New York, he had hold everything inside and, once he had arrived at the hotel, he had cried himself into sleep, finally allowing himself to grieve and begin the healing process. It had been very hard for a little while but, after a few weeks, and meditation helping quite a lot, he had begun to feel the pain lessen more and more and subside to a point where he could actually thing about his godfather without sinking into despair. He could remember now the few happy memories he had of him and cherished them jealously.

It was however obvious that Scott hadn't allowed himself to grieve and he really couldn't blame him, knowing that he had done the exact same thing after Cedric's death. On the other hand, his friend needed a wake-up call as much as Harry had that summer, until Ginny had torn a new one into him and put him back on the right path.

He wasn't actually going to yell at Scott, that was for sure, but he was going to let him know that he did know the feeling of someone dying, not because of you, but for you.

"Don't tell me what I know or what I don't. There are a lot of things that you don't know about me, Scott. Why don't you take a look at these letters and then come to see me. I'll by in my room," Harry said in a soft voice.

If he had been looking at Scott at the beginning, once having motioned for the box he had put on the desk, his eyes had trailed down of the floor. Even though he knew more or less what was going on in his friend's head, it didn't mean it hadn't hurt him to hear Scott say that. As soon as his tirade was finished, he got up and walked out of the room, ending the silencing charm on his way, and went back to his own room, lying down on the bed and waiting for Scott to come, which he knew he would do soon enough.

As soon as Harry was out of the room, Scott realized exactly what he had said and how unfair it had been to Harry. He knew that he had been bottling up what he felt about Jean's death inside of him and, because no one had actually tried to question him about it, it had been an easy task to just avoid it. However, opening up to Harry had brought back the hurt in full force and he had lashed out, managing to hurt the one person he didn't want to.

As soon as that realization sank into him, he wanted nothing more than go to Harry and apologize. The young wizard had, however, asked him to read the letters first and the least he could do was to comply with his wish. He wasn't going to read the whole lot of them, but at least a few.

He chose the letter that had been sitting on top and, as soon as he opened it, he became conscious that it had to be the most recent one since it was date from the month of June of the current year. What attracted the most his attention, though, was that the writing was trembling, as if it had taken Harry an effort to even hold the pen.

_Dear Scott,_

_God, how I wish that the last few hours were just a nightmare and that I could wake up soon but I know it isn't and I'm not sure where I can of from here._

_I can believe I was stupid enough to let Voldemort trick me like this. It was so obvious that it was a trap. God, I should have listened to 'Mione. I should have listened to just about everyone that was telling me I had to learn occlumency. But no, I had to be too stubborn to even try! _

_Sirius…. Sirius is dead, Scott, and it's all my fault. He shouldn't even have been there. The only reason he was is because he went after me. How am I even supposed to live with myself now? First my parents, then Cedric and now Sirius, why do people keep dying because of me?_

_You know, maybe it's a good thing that we were flung apart that way. At least you don't die because of me. Too many people already did and all because of that stupid prophecy!_

_Kill or be killed. That's what the prophecy says. Either I become a murderer or I probably won't live long enough to even finish school. God, I wish you were here Scott, to help me sort it out or to take me away from it all. I miss you so much._

The letter's ending was rather abrupt; it was probable that Harry had been disturbed or just hadn't been able to keep going on.

Setting it down on his bed, Scott bit his lips, almost hard enough to draw blood. Apparently Harry did know what it felt like to feel responsible for the loss of someone you loved and, after what he had said, how could Harry be still willing to talk to him? He knew that he had promised himself to read at least a few letters, but he had to see Harry immediately.

Harry was still lying on his bed, stuck somewhere in between daydreaming and meditating, when he heard the knock on his door. With a flick on his wand, he opened it without moving from his position. He looked up to see Scott standing in the doorway, looking decidedly sheepish.

"Hey," Harry said in a whisper, motioning with his arm for his friend so come in.

Scott entered the room and closed the door behind himself, before padding up to the bed where Harry scooted over, sitting up to make him some place.

"I'm so sorry, Harry," Scott said hesitantly, unsure about what to say. "I… I had no right to say what I did. I just haven't deal with any of this. I… Don't leave."

The last sentence had been said in a pleading voice that threw Harry out of balance. Where the hell was that coming from? He had absolutely no intention of leaving!

Harry rapidly crossed the little space that was left between the two of them and took his friend into a hug that could rival those of Mrs. Weasley, whispering into his ear that he wasn't going to leave, no matter what, but that he had to let it out if he didn't want his grief to eat him up inside.

So Scott did just that. Finally, and for the first time since their flight back from Alkali Lake, he let his tears flow freely and was soon sobbing into Harry's arms. For a few seconds, he felt Harry let go of him and, when he felt a hand on his visor, he understood was the young boy was asking. He took it off, keeping his eyes closed, and eventually hid his face into Harry's neck, much the same way he had done when he had first discovered his power, letting the returned warm embrace comfort him.

After what seemed to be an eternity, Scott had calmed down and just rested peacefully, his head settled on Harry's shoulder and eyes still closed. He was feeling as if a burden had been lifted from his chest.

"Tell me about Sirius," he asked Harry out of the blue.

Harry chuckled.

"Go figure that you actually read that particular letter. Okay," he began. "Sirius… Sirius was my godfather, my dad's best friend and a real joker. Back at school, they and two of their friends called themselves the Marauders…"


	6. Chapter 5

**Title**: Harry Potter and the Horcruxes' Quest

**Genre**: slight AU, crossover (HP/X-men), slash

**Characters**: Harry/Scott, cast

**Disclaimer**: Characters are not mine; they belong to their respective creators

**Summary**: After OotP, Harry decides to run away in order to train to be ready to face Voldemort. He goes to find the one person he trusted as a child: Scott Summer. Sparks fly. Spoilers for HBP and DH.

**Author's note: **Many thanks to **Aoife**, the wonderful beta that corrected my mistakes! If some are left, they are mine and mine only.

**_Thanks to all of those who reviewed_**

_

* * *

_

Chapter 5

Harry had to admit that in the last few years, even though Hogwarts had become a place he quite liked, he had never once though he would one day feel like he was at home again. He had been wrong, as the few weeks he had already spent at the Xavier Institute had proved him. That place, that place he could get used to call home, he knew it.

In that first day, he hadn't really seen anyone but Scott, taking the time to catch up about the most important points of their new lives, like Voldemort and the X-Men. However, afterwards, Harry had then gotten to know the other members of the faculty and the students that stayed at the School.

The day following his arrival, he had kept the promise he had made to the young girls called Kitty Pride and had made a demonstration of his powers without, of course, going overboard. He may have been able to use his magic without having to be worried about the Ministry sending someone, it didn't mean that no one would notice that there was a wizard in the house and it, depending on the person, it could be bad. However, there shouldn't be any problem if he kept his power to a normal level.

If the adults had been suitably impressed, the students were awed by the variety of his capabilities. He had put on a little show for them, but nothing too major. He had never liked when people looked at him as they did in the Wizarding world, like he was someone special, and he didn't want that to happen with the people in that place. He preferred the light friendships that were already beginning to appear to be based on their mutual affinities, more than it being just because of his powers.

Though he had come to appreciate just about everyone, he had to admit that they were four particular people that were rapidly becoming very important to him.

First there was Marie or Rogue, as she wished to be called. Even though he had soon learnt that she couldn't touch anyone because of her inability to control her power, he had instantly a formed bond with her and had been drawn to her. After talking a few times with the girl, he had realized that both of them had a lot in common, principally with each of them being a leader in their own right. Rogue may not have been the leader of the X-Men, she was still the one all the students looked up to in a dangerous situation and that was enough to put her at the same level than Harry. They could understand each other in a way that no one else could. Not Ron, not Hermione and not Bobby

Bobby, codename Iceman, was Rogue's boyfriend and an okay guy for what Harry had been able to see up to now. He was funny, linking to play pranks in a way that reminded him more of the Weasley twins than his own father's little gang. The pranks the young man played were designed to be just for fun and not to humiliate, as he had learnt that Sirius' and James' had been.

Bobby also knew what it was not to be accepted by his own family. He now lived permanently at the Institute because his parents didn't want a mutant in their home, like he had been abandoned by Vernon and Petunia because of their dislike for magic, before the Headmaster had had his way with 

them. It was something they shared and, even with an unspoken deal of never talking about it, it made them realize they were more alike that it seemed at first glance.

Then there was Kurt or Nightcrawler, as he was called by the X-Men. He was different from anyone Harry had ever seen; his appearance hid nothing of the fact that he was a mutant and, if he didn't want to be persecuted by others when he was out, he was forced to use a disguise. In that, Harry could sympathize. His differences may not have been physical, except from his scar, like his gift to speak with snakes, but they were well-known all over the magical community of Great-Britain and, if he wanted to go out in the Wizarding world without fearing to be bothered, either by people who though him evil or people who thought him a hero and wanted him to fight Voldemort, he had to put himself under disguise too. It was something they had in common and he could understand Kurt better than most at the Institute, since most of them were able to hide their difference from the world without too many problems.

Finally, there was Kitty, nicknamed Shadowcat. She was a very nice girl and, while she wasn't exactly what you could call normal, having the ability of walking through any solid surface she wanted to by making herself lose her substance, she didn't have such a troubled past. That may have made them different but Harry liked being with her for the same reason that he liked to be with Hermione. She was an outlet for him, being able to forget what he was, what he was supposed to do, when she was with him. She looked at his powers with such innocent wonder and curiosity that it was relaxing. On the other hand, she was also able to defend herself without problems, which was a capacity that could come very handy when you were friend with Harry Potter.

Of course, the students weren't the only one that Harry had gotten to know. He had also discovered a lot about the adults that were part of the school. While he hadn't yet spent all that much time with Charles Xavier, Harry had been able to determine that he was a lot like Dumbledore presented himself, except that it wasn't faked for manipulation. He was a man that was truthful with the others and held nothing back about what he expected them to do or not; as far as Harry was concerned, this was a refreshing change.

Then there was Logan, whose codename was Wolverine as Harry had already knew when he had asked the man in his search for mutants. From what the young wizard had been able to gather, the man was amnesiac and didn't remember a thing that dated from before fifteen years ago. Harry could hardly imagine what it meant not to know what had happened to you but he was fairly sure he never wanted to. No matter how bad some of his memories were, he knew that they were what made him what he was now and that without our past experiences, we would become someone else.

Logan had also become some sort of sparring partner. He was the one with whom Harry trained the most. Of course, he did train with others, but not as frequently. The principal reason was that Logan was the one against whom he could go and let his powers really shine without being afraid to hurt him too badly. Plus, it also did wonder to his physical condition. All in all, it was a good thing that the feral was in the mansion.

Finally, there was Ororo Munroe, codenamed Storm. She was someone that he had come to like quite a lot. Her power to control the weather had put her in phase with Mother Nature in itself. As a wizard, it was something that Harry had to understand, because as much as any wizard can do basic magic, the most complex charms weren't only the result of power but, equally, the result of a symbiosis with Nature, that allowed you to feel and control the different parts of the world and change them in their most profound structures. Working with her was opening him to a whole new world of possibilities to channel his inner magic to accomplish things that he had previously thought impossible.

Of course, the one person in the mansion who Harry spent most of his time with was, without the shadow of a doubt, Scott. When Harry had looked for him at the beginning of summer, he had in mind the time they had spent together when he was a child and how their relationship had been very easy-going and almost brotherly, as if Scott had been his older brother, a story they had employed quite a few time to be honest. He had thought they would resume their relationship where they had let it.

That was without counting on how much both of them would have changed in all those years. Whereas Harry had been just a little kid back then, he was now a sixteen years old young man and, as much as he had thought of Scott as his brother and protector before, the five years he had spent away from him had dissolved the platonic view he had to let place to an unmistakable attraction, one like he had never felt before.

There had been Cho Chang, of course, but if he was honest with himself, he had to admit he hadn't been in love with her, as much as with the idea he had had of her. That had become very clear as soon as they had begun their farce of a relationship. And, except for her, there had been a few flings during the last year, not during the time he had been 'with her' but before and after, but nothing meaningful. Whether for her of the other party, those hadn't meant anything more than a way to find some relief in a time where danger was everywhere and where you had to be on your guard 24/7.

Those he hadn't speak about with either Ron or Hermione. They would never have understood, especially not the young woman. With them, he was the Griffindor Golden Boy and nothing else. The few people he had been with during the school year had been aware of his need to keep it a secret and hadn't wanted their own indiscretion to be revealed either; there had been no problem on that front.

With Scott, though, it was different than both those situation. There was a physical attraction, of course. There was no denying that, whereas before he hadn't been old enough to really take notice of it, the man was simply handsome. However, it wasn't all there was. He knew Scott, knew him probably better than he ever did his friends in Hogwarts and, even with the separation, the reverse was also truth. Ron, Hermione, Ginny… none of them had any idea about what his life was like outside the Wizarding world; they had no idea that what they were seeing of him was only part of the real Harry Potter. They would probably never know it either.

He wasn't all that sure it was love; he had never been in love before, as much as he had wanted to believe that it was what he had felt for Cho. But it was stronger than even that and maybe, just maybe, it was love and, if it was, then he knew that he had fallen very hard.

He wasn't going to say anything about it at the moment, though, not so soon after he had held Scott while he cried for the loss of his last and only lover. However, he could wait for him and hope that, even if Scott never returned his feelings –hell, he didn't even know if the man was bisexual -, he would still want him as a friend. Only time would tell.

Harry pushed those thoughts aside for the moment, as he made his way to Scott's office. There was a question he still hadn't asked and it was high time he did so, because it was something he had been wondering about since he was around ten.

He knocked at the door and let himself in when he heard his friend call for whoever was at the door to enter. He swiftly slid in and walked to the desk, where Scott was correcting copies with a red marker.

As soon as Harry reached him he looked up to him and smiled, the way he had done more and more since that night where he had finally decided to let go of Jean's death and begin to enjoy life once 

again, moving on without ever forgetting his first love, but only keep with him the cherished memories of their time together instead of the despair of her loss.

"Hey, Harry! You aren't with Bobby and Rogue?" he asked, knowing that his two students had wanted to spend some time in the danger room with the young wizard, wanting to see how he behaved in a fight.

"I was. We finished the simulation and I decided to let them enjoy some time together. As long as the others thing I'm still with them, no one will bother them. Which mean, no one can know I'm not there anymore," he explained.

He could guess how frustrating it had to be for the two young people to never be able to be alone together for more than a few minutes before being disturbed by their friends. Harry had decided that he could help them out this time around.

"So, can I kidnap you for a while?" Harry asked innocently.

Scott looked at his young friend with amusement but, even if the perspective to spend some time alone with Harry was very attractive, he was hesitating to take him up on his offer. He actually had work to do and he couldn't forget his responsibilities.

Harry seemed to sense his internal fight and was quick to convince him.

"Come on, just for a little while," he insisted. "I promise it won't be long and I can even help you correct your copies afterwards."

Scott laughed at that idea, knowing full well that there was no way Harry would be able to do that since he hadn't had any English class since the day he had run away at seven. If he could follow his class without too much problems, he didn't have the necessary level to correct any homework or test he had given. Even so, Scott had already put down his marker, clearly on the verge of taking Harry up on his offer.

Harry held out his hand and Scott, taking it to help himself up, understood at once that they would be traveling Harry's way. It wasn't long before he felt the familiar pull and was whisked away from his office, only to find himself in a dark alley.

"Any reason we're here?" Scott asked, finding himself at a loss on how to explain why Harry had wished them there.

"Because I thought that apparating in the middle of Central Park wasn't a good idea," Harry deadpanned. "But it's close enough. Come on, let's go."

Not even ten minutes later, they were sitting down on the grass, watching little kids playing around, some of them looking strangely and with undisguised curiosity at Scott's visor. It made Scott clearly uneasy but the feel of Harry's hand circling his wrist, as they were sitting side to side, took his mind away from it.

He turned to the ebony-haired boy and raised an eyebrow in question.

"If it isn't too personal, why can't you control your power?" Harry asked in such a way that Scott knew he wouldn't mind if he chose not to answer.

Scott sighed, closing his eyes, and rested his head against the tree behind them. He was going to answer, yes, but he didn't like to think about it.

"When I was around five, my family and I were in a plane crash. I was able to survive it but with some damages. A brain lesion, actually. That was what took away the control of the laser."

Harry nodded, apologizing softly for bringing up bad memories; he knew that Scott's parents hadn't been as lucky as him. However, he did it very absent-mindedly, as he was already thinking about trying to create a potion that could give him back the control of his power. He knew it wouldn't be very easy but, if he succeeded, not only could Scott see without his visor, but Marie would also have a chance to finally be able to touch again.


	7. Chapter 6

**Title**: Harry Potter and the Horcruxes' Quest

**Genre**: slight AU, crossover (HP/X-men), slash

**Characters**: Harry/Scott, cast

**Disclaimer**: Characters are not mine; they belong to their respective creators

**Summary**: After OotP, Harry decides to run away in order to train to be ready to face Voldemort. He goes to find the one person he trusted as a child: Scott Summer. Sparks fly. Spoilers for HBP and DH.

**Note**: Many thanks to **Aoife**, the wonderful beta that corrected my mistakes! If some are left, they are mine and mine only.

_**Thanks to all of those who reviewed**_

Chapter 6

If the people at the Institute were slightly curious about the reason he was suddenly spending so much time by himself in his room, using a spell to lock it up and another one to prevent the mutant from using their own powers to make their way inside, they didn't bother him about it all that much.

The kids had asked him, of course. He would have done the same if the situation had been reversed and, to be honest, he had found himself into that kind of situations more time that he cared to count when he had been in Hogwarts and god knew the lengths to which he had gone to find out what the secrets being kept from him were.

He had settled on answering with a half-truth. What he had told them was that he was doing something that required a great deal of concentration and research, which was why he had to spend so much time alone. He had also sworn to them that, not only it wasn't dangerous, which was mostly true, but also that he would tell them what it was as soon as he had finished, even if it was probably going to take a lot of time.

The one danger that could possibly be was that he could make a mistake and end up with his potion exploding in his face. But that wasn't going to happen because he wasn't as bad in potions as he had made it out to be. He had simply given up on the idea of doing anything in class because, no matter what, he knew that Snape would have made to only give him a barely passing grade. It didn't matter to Harry; the most important was that he could handle making potions in the real world, not in a classroom.

What he was trying to do, at the moment, was a potion that would repair the damage that had taken away Scott's control of his power and, by extension, Rogue's. Of course, the best thing would be for it to be permanent but that was the hardest part, which was why he had decided to first do a short-term one. Once he found the right formula, which he didn't think should be very complicated, he would work on the permanent factor and how he should alter his recipe to make it true.

He knew that he was almost there, medical potions being his strong suit. That particular development wouldn't have surprised most of the people who knew him because, with his habit of getting hurt just about once every two months, it stood to reason that he would be an expert in remedies.

Adding the last ingredient, he stirred and waited for the liquid to take an almost violet shade of blue. Once it was finished, he took one of the various potion books he had bought when he had gone to the American equivalent of Diagon Alley and lost himself in it, looking for any hints about the answer he was looking for. Exactly one hour later, he put the book aside, turned off the Bunsen – and wasn't it great that potions didn't react badly to a fire lit up the muggle way? – and let the potion rest long enough for it not to burn him before filling up numerous vials with the still steaming liquid.

He had to be able to experiment diverse things on it in order to find out how to make it in its final form and he really didn't want to have to brew a few more batches. It was long enough to make it once, without having to do it several times.

He barely had the time to clean up the mess in the room when what sounded like an alarm began to scream. Harry nearly jumped out of his skin but was able to regain his wits soon enough. He rapidly put an unbreakable charm on the vials and, taking his wand, ran out of his room to find out what the hell was going on.

As he left the room, the first thing he saw were the older students helping the younger ones to get out of their own rooms to what seemed to be a hidden passage. He wasn't sure where it led but he was certain it was a safe place. On the other hand, since the students that were part of the X-Men group weren't leaving after them but running the other way, Harry gathered that it wasn't anything like a fire but more likely an attack.

Without wasting any time, he ran up until he was able to catch up with Bobby.

"What's going on?"

"Magneto's attacking the school," the young mutant said and Harry understood at once that he was talking to Iceman and not Bobby. "You should go with the younger's; it's not your fight but ours."

"Scott will be there?" Harry asked, looking at his friend in the eyes, even though he already knew the answer to that question.

"Yeah," Iceman said, frowning.

"Then it's my fight, too," Harry stated with determination. "I'm coming."

Bobby's eyes widened. Harry may not have said it out loud, but the implications were clear as crystal in his voice. Iceman didn't have any time to reply before Rogue arrived, having just heard the last sentence Harry had uttered.

"Alright, come on!" she said.

She may have been worried about the fact that her newfound friend was going to put himself in danger but she was not stupid enough not to know that his help would not only be most appreciable but also very useful. His powers were strong and he had a very good amount of control over them. It was certain that Magneto wouldn't expect him and it may very well be what was going to save them all.

Shadowcat and Nightcrawler had already arrived when they stepped inside the control room where the X-Men were already reunited. None of them were really surprised by Harry's presence, having been told about some of the things that had happened to him during his stay in the Wizarding world and the kind of adventures he had willingly taken part in in the past. Of course, it didn't mean that Scott was very happy to see his young friend there.

He looked at Harry and the young wizard held on the stare, not lowering his eyes, even though looking right into the red visor was kind of unnerving. Nevertheless, he had to show Scott that he wasn't going to budge and that there was nothing he could do to make him go away and hide while they were fighting against their enemy. Scott, even if not pleased, nodded imperceptibly and Harry smiled, as if too reassure him that he was going to be okay.

Cyclops rapidly laid out the plan, telling everyone what they were supposed to do and, soon, everyone was ready to defend the mansion. Harry had heard all about that Magneto guy and who his 

allies were before; he began to think about how he could fight them, using their own weakness. His powers let him a larger margin of action than the X-Men ones did but, on the other hand, he had to be careful about how exactly he would go with it. He couldn't afford to reveal the Wizarding world; he had to be taken for a mutant and nothing else.

It turned out that the attack wasn't going as Harry had expected. Maybe he was more used to the unadulterated violence employed by the death-eaters during their own attacks, but the fight against Magneto was more of a passive-aggressive nature than anything else. First, there had been no sudden attack coming at them, but the metal-controlling man had begun to talk with Xavier. They seemed to know each other quite well.

Kitty must have seen his bewildered face because she leant into him and murmured into his ears that the two men had once been very good friends before Magneto's way of managing the human's opinion of mutants had totally changed. Harry just nodded, silently thanking her for the background insight.

Then Magneto turned to him with an eyebrow raised before reporting his attention to Scott.

"Well, _Cyclops_, you seem to have gained a new member for your little team. What's your name, boy?"

Harry seethed. If there was something he hated more than anything, it was to be called by that name; it always reminded him of his uncle. That had been the reason he had ordered Logan to never call him that and, thankfully, the feral had done so, keeping on calling him _kid_ instead. That didn't bother him too much. He may not have liked being thought of as a kid but Logan only called him that and never treated him like one. Harry supposed it was probably something about him being so old and was more an endearment than anything.

"You can call me Green-Eyes," Harry said, not wanting to give his real name but knowing that Magneto wasn't expecting him to, seeing that he called the X-men by their codename.

Harry had decided to keep the nickname Scott had picked up when they were both kid. It wasn't all that bad, especially considering some of the nickname he had had at Hogwarts and he liked it just fine. He wouldn't mind being known under that name.

"Most of your little friends have codenames related to their powers. And you, you have one related to your appearance?" Magneto stated, almost disappointed.

"What can I say, I like to keep people guessing," Harry answered flippantly as he felt Scott tense at his side, probably because of his carelessness in such a situation.

He knew that he was supposed to be at least a little bit worried, like his friends, but at the moment he just couldn't bring himself to be. He was feeling thrilled to finally have some action, even though he remembered wishing to have a calm year every time he went back to Hogwarts. But he didn't fear Magneto. He didn't think he was there to cause too much damages. If Harry had to venture a guess, he would say that the only reason the man was there was that he had heard that someone new was staying at the mansion and had wanted to see by himself who it was. The little chit-chat he had had with Xavier had been a little distraction before revealing his true motives.

Magneto laughed out loud when he heard Harry's answer and it was so different than with Voldemort or his followers that Harry nearly did a double-take. Usually, when Voldemort laughed at his bravado, it was very clear that he was mocking him. Magneto, on the contrary, almost seemed sincere, amused, as if Harry had told a really good joke.

However, Harry knew that Magneto wouldn't leave before learning what his power was, so he prepared himself for an attack, an attack that would probably be sent right in his direction. He already knew what he would show. His ability to apparate was close enough to some mutant power and he would be able to do it without having to use his wand, no matter what distance he had to cross.

He hadn't been wrong and, not even ten seconds later, he had to disappear from where he was to find himself at the other side of Kitty. A few of the X-Men reiterated but their attacks were easily avoided by Magneto who just smirked, as if he had obtained exactly what he wanted and, without losing any time, not wanting to find himself the target of too much attacks, he chose to go away with his team.

"It was strange, ja?" Kurt asked after Magneto's departure. "Why leaving so soon, not attacking?"

While Kitty and Bobby were showing their agreement with Kurt's statement, most of the others had already understood what it had been about.

"No Kurt," Harry said, shaking his head, smiling ruefully. "He probably wanted to know what my power was. He thinks he knows, now. That mean I was able to pass for a mutant."

The Professor spoke up as soon as Harry finished, confirming what the young wizard had said, before sending everyone to bed, telling them to go and fetch the youngest first and reassure them that the danger had passed. It hadn't been an attack per se, only a recognition mission.

While everyone was getting back to their own rooms, letting the Professor worry about the implication of Magneto wanting to know what kind of power their new friend possessed, Scott dragged Harry up to his room, fully intending to talk to his young friend.

Once the door closed, Scott turned to face Harry, fury written on his face.

"What the hell did you think you were doing?" he asked in a deceptively calm voice, while Harry could see the anger etched in each of his features.

"Look, I know you don't want me in danger and I can understand that, but you have to understand that I can handle things like that, at the same title than Bobby, Rogue or Kitty. I don't see you berating them."

He knew that he was losing his calm but he just couldn't stand being treated like a kid who didn't know what he was doing and to have Scott, Scott of all people, doing it just made him so mad.

"They are X-Men!" he exclaimed as if it explained everything. "But okay, you coming with us, okay. But talking like that with Magneto, as if you were at a picnic, almost baiting him, was totally-"

Harry cut him off with his own lips. He didn't know why he did it, not after promising himself that he would wait for a while before trying to make a move on Scott, but he had wanted to stop his lecture and, at the time, it had seemed like a good idea. Except that Scott wasn't responding and that wasn't good at all. He tried one last thing and ran his tongue on Scott's lips.

Scott, for his part, was stunned when he realized that Harry was kissing him and didn't know how to react. His conscience was battling with his heart, trying to get him to distance himself from the young man, but even as he was going to do that, he felt Harry's tongue on his lips and, surrendering, he granted him entrance and soon lost himself in the kiss.

The kiss was heated, passionate and, too soon for both their liking, Harry broke it. Once he had his mind back, Scott was going to apologize but Harry didn't let him the time to do so and pressed him to get out of the room.

"My room, come with me," Harry said, still trying to get his breathing back from the recent lack of oxygen.

Scott didn't understand why but he made no move to try and resist as Harry dragged him into his own room, thankful that no student lingered in the hall, before closing the door behind him and putting a charm on it. He was going to ask about it when he was handed a vial containing a blue-violet liquid and he watched it before looking at Harry curiously.

"Drink it. The effects will only last for an hour but… I'm working on a permanent version. Just drink it…"

Harry hadn't wanted to give it to Scott before having perfected the final version but he needed to see his eyes, needed to see the emotions in them and be able to know if it was really what Scott wanted. He needed to be sure.

Scott drank the potion without asking any question but Harry knew that he had absolutely no idea about what it was that he had just ingested. The knowledge that Scott trusted him enough to do so warmed his heard and he smiled before pushing his friend so he would be sitting on his bed.

"Harry, what?"

Harry didn't answer but he took off Scott's visor. The mutant just had time to close his eyes before it was off.

"Open your eyes," Harry ordered gently, sitting beside him and turning so they would be face to face.

"What? No! Harry, I can't!"

Harry couldn't be serious. He couldn't open his eyes, not without risking giving the mansion another sunroof. Harry should know that better than anyone else; he had seen how destructive his power was.

Harry took Scott's face in his hand, tracing slightly his cheek with his fingertips, and approached his own face so close that Scott could actually feel Harry's breathing on his lips.

"Yes, you can. Scott, trust me," Harry murmured and there was no saying no to him.

Slowly, scared to death that he was going to kill Harry because, seeing how close the younger man was, that was what would happen, he opened his eyes and found himself looking into two emerald pearls, without any red laser escaping.

Harry smiled as he was finally able to see the blue eyes again and he traced Scott's lips, not evading his soft glaze. What he saw inside was everything he had hoped for and more. There was of course awe at being able to see without ruby glasses but also deep caring, something akin to love, and lust that was dilating his pupils, vestige of their previously shared kiss.

"God, I had forgotten how green your eyes were," Scott murmured, still in awe. "Thank you, Harry, thank you so much."

"I promise I'll find a way to make the effect permanent," he swore. "For you and for Rogue."

As soon as that was said, he once again put his lips against Scott's but the mutant pulled back, imperceptibly.

"You're only…"

He didn't need to go any further than that before Harry understood Scott's reluctance to let himself go but that was a worry he could sooth without problems.

"Sixteen is the legal age of consent in the Wizarding world," he said.

The words had barely time to leave Harry's mouth that Scott was kissing him, taking the lead this time around and ravishing his mouth, all the while forcing Harry to lie back on his bed, his body coming to cover the young wizard's.


	8. Chapter 7

**Title**: Harry Potter and the Horcruxes' Quest

**Genre**: slight AU, crossover (HP/X-men), slash

**Characters**: Harry/Scott, cast

**Disclaimer**: Characters are not mine; they belong to their respective creators

**Summary**: After OotP, Harry decides to run away in order to train to be ready to face Voldemort. He goes to find the one person he trusted as a child: Scott Summer. Sparks fly. Spoilers for HBP and DH.

**Author's note: **Many thanks to **Aoife**, the wonderful beta that corrected my mistakes! If some are left, there mine and mine only

_**Thanks to all of those who reviewed**_

Chapter 7

The weeks that had followed the supposed attack of Magneto had been really great for Harry, both for his training and his personal life.

For the matter of the training, following Harry's standing up with the mutants, cold-headed and not scared, Xavier had asked him to be part of the X-Men. It hadn't even crossed Harry's mind not to agree, even though he was surprised to be asked that. He knew that it would be a good training for his unavoidable face to face with Voldemort.

His accepting had, however, had some consequences on his training. The hours that had been consecrated to it had literally doubled and he was now using the danger room on a fairly regular basis. It wasn't something he minded all that much, especially considering they could load in some scenarios from his own world.

For that to happen, the Professor had to copy some of his memories and put them in the computer. The first thing he had tried was the fight against the basilisk in the Chamber of Secrets to save Ginny. After that first performance, Xavier had asked if he could show the record of the simulation to the other students and teachers. His reason for that was that it was a way to let them see a real-life scenario in which magic was used to battle and not only something invented to test Harry's powers; Harry had seen the point and agreed, glad that the Professor had actually asked him and not done it without his permission, like Dumbledore would have done.

The second time that Harry had decided to use his own memories was to reenact the most important fight he had been in and, for that purpose, put himself back in the Department of Mysteries. Logan had been the one monitoring the simulation and he had watched as Harry and his 'friends' fought against adult wizards, keeping them at bay for at least one hour until the rescue arrived. He also saw Harry's godfather dying and Harry going after his murderer. Harry knew he could have changed the outcome of the battle, but he had made a point of making the exact same moves he had during the real thing. It had hurt to watch Sirius die again but he had wanted to be able to see what mistakes he had made.

As soon as he had left the danger room, Logan had asked him if he was fine and he had absent-mindedly nodded, telling him to make a copy of the sequence so he could watch it afterwards. He had then walked out of the school and went up to the edge of the forest. He had been sitting down for only a few minutes when Hedwig had come to him, landing on his shoulder, and hooted softly to him, as if trying to comfort him.

A few moments later, Ororo had arrived and had sat down next to him. She hadn't said a word to him, but Harry had instantly guessed that Logan must have told her what had happened during the training.

Harry had incited Hedwig to perch on his arms instead of his shoulder, letting Ororo pet her, knowing that the weather-witch would appreciate the gesture since she loved the beautiful bird. No words 

had been exchanged but, when they had come back inside the school, a bond had formed between them.

On a more personal level, his relationship with Scott had bloomed beautifully. If Harry hadn't been so sure about whether making a move on his friend so soon was a good idea, he realized that his taking the initiative had paid off. The day they had fought Magneto, they had spent the night together, in Harry's room, and for Harry, it had been the happiest moment of his life.

It wasn't his first time. No, he actually had had physical relationships before. However, it was the first time that it had been with someone he actually had feelings for. Whereas he was usually the one in control, Scott had taken the lead and he had enjoyed being at the mercy of the mutant. They had, afterwards, fallen asleep in each other's arms and there had been no awkward morning after moment.

On a common accord, they had decided not to tell anyone about their relationship. It wasn't that they were ashamed of being together, but there was the fact that Harry was following classes at the mansion, which made Scott his teacher, and the fact that he was only sixteen. It may have been the age of consent in the Wizarding world, that didn't mean it would be very well seen by everyone around them. And the last thing that Harry wanted was to create Scott any problem. After all, the young wizard knew that, even if he had made the first step, anyone who was against them being together would see Scott as the responsible party.

Nevertheless, Harry was more than certain that the Professor already knew about them, even if he hadn't made any mention of it, probably waiting for one of them to come forwards with the information. Of course, the man was a telepath and, even if Harry could totally block him out, Scott couldn't and it would have been difficult to hide anything that big from him. But the whole denial thing worked pretty well, for now at any rate.

Bobby had some vague idea. Well, not that there were together because, obviously, Mister Summer wasn't gay, according to him but he knew that Harry had feelings for him. He had told him that he would be there whenever Harry needed someone to talk to, promised not to say anything, understanding that Harry didn't want his sexual orientation to be common knowledge.

Harry had had some trouble keeping a straight face during that particular conversation but he had to admit that he had been genuinely touched by Bobby's show of friendship and support. It had almost made Harry feel bad about lying to him. Oh, he had admitted having feelings for Scott, yes, but he hadn't mentioned that they weren't as unrequited as the young mutant thought. Scott and he had had a good laugh about it when Harry had told him.

That had happened about three weeks ago and now, he was on his way to Xavier's office. He knew that the man always kept his door open if any of his students wanted to talk to him and, if Harry didn't need his advice or anything, he still needed to talk to him briefly.

He was told to enter as soon as he knocked on the door and Xavier looked at him with as open expression from the moment he crossed the threshold. He closed the door behind himself and walked inside the room.

"Harry, what can I do for you?" he asked.

Usually, the only reason he asked was because it was more polite, even though he already knew what the people that came to him wanted. Harry, on the other, he couldn't read since he had his shield up all the time. The young wizard had explained him that it wasn't to keep him out, especially. He had admitted that he wouldn't mind having him being able to pick up on some of his thoughts, 

knowing that the man did know the meaning of privacy. Problem was that there was always a risk of Voldemort trying to attack his mind, no matter if he hadn't been able to do so for quite a while.

"Actually, I needed to pop back to England for a few hours. I just wanted to let you know, so no one would worry."

"You haven't told anyone else?" Xavier asked frowning.

Harry shook his head.

"Logan has the students together for a class to train their power particularly. He can't exactly help me with wizard powers. And to be frank, I already can control them well."

Harry didn't want to appear too sure of himself but he had a firm grip on his powers. After five years at Hogwarts, it was to be expected. Plus, the occlumency was good to prevent the anger surge to result into an unwanted curse, like with Marge.

"And Scott is correcting copies, I don't want to bother him," Harry added, not mentioning the other X-Men who were, at the moment, on a mission.

Xavier smiled, nodding as if he hadn't heard the unsaid implication that Harry didn't want to tell Scott because the other man would either not want him to take so much risks or insist on going with him. He had no need to hear the young man's thoughts to know that much.

"When will you be back?"

"I should be here by dinner time," Harry said, not really intending on staying very long.

He just wanted to pop back in England to see how the war had evolved by bow. He may have been willing to get away from it all in order to acquire the necessary skill to fight, it didn't mean that he didn't care about how his friends and the other members of the Order were faring.

"Then I bid you good luck, Harry. Do not forget that, should troubles arise, you can call me."

Harry nodded, touched by the concern that the Professor was showing. It was nice to know that the man would probably leave everything and fly across the world to help him out, should he need it. On the other hand, he also knew that he wouldn't let him do so. There was no way he would willingly expose the mutants to the Wizarding world, not if he could help it.

After saying his thanks, Harry left the office and walked out of the mansion. He wandered around for a little while, needing to get himself together for his apparition to London. It was a very long way and he had never attempted something that big on purpose. He knew that it was a very foolish thing to do, but he needed to know, needed to see for himself the situation and not only through the newspaper that actually made it all the way to the States.

He was perfectly aware that the Wizarding world was reeling from his disappearance. In England, at least. The strangest theories were flying around but Harry really couldn't bring himself to give a damn about it. They had all abandoned him the year before, when he had told them that Voldemort was back. Now that they had the proof that he had been telling the truth, they wanted him to be there to save them, as if it was his duty. That did nothing more than piss him off and, since he didn't need that kind of emotions, he had just decided not to read them anymore.

Eventually, taking a deep breath, he concentrated his whole mind on the cavern Sirius had hidden in when he had been on the run during his fourth year. He knew that it was probably very reckless of him to go to Hogsmeade, to go so close to Hogwarts. He should have gone to Diagon Alley, it would 

have been safer but, on the other hand, as it was a week day, it was probable that Hogsmeade would be less crowded than London.

He made sure that his bandana still covered his scar before walking to the little village. Not many people were looking at him, probably seeing just a kid and not their lost hero. The streets were almost deserted and the few people who were taking a walk most certainly didn't expect Harry Potter to walk among them, so close to his school.

Even so, the little number of people outside made Harry once again aware that they were at war. They were certainly scared about what was happening and risking their lives if Voldemort or his death-eaters suddenly chose to raid the town.

He was going to go away and try his luck in Diagon Alley when the sign of a shop attracted his attention. So the Weasley twins had succeeded in opening their joke shop. That was great, in Harry's opinion. People needed to laugh, as he had said back when he had given them the tournament money, and they were the best he knew for making people laugh, though Bobby did come close second.

He knew he was taking a gamble but Harry decided to go in and talk to them. He was aware they wouldn't be as likely to contact Dumbledore as most people. They were at least thinking for themselves, they hadn't been brainwashed by the Headmaster like most. Plus, they didn't think of anyone as unable to make mistakes simply because they were figures of authorities. They would at least let him talk before trying to get him back to the castle.

He peered unnoticed inside the shop first, making sure there was no one beside them inside, and then walked in, as smirk firmly in place, eager to see what their reaction would be,

"Ah! Welcome my friend to the unforgettable shop of-"

Fred – or was it George? – stopped in the middle of his sentence, recognizing Harry at once.

"Harry? George!" he called his brother. "Come and see who's here."

His twin came running and there was a battement during which no one dared to move before both redhead began to question him about where he had been, what he had been doing and if he was alright. Fortunately, they seemed keener on making sure that he was okay than on contacting the Headmaster immediately.

He effectively quieted them with a laugh and a smile.

"Yeah, don't worry guy, I'm fine. Hell, I'm better than fine. But, please, don't contact anyone to tell them I'm here. I'm not ready to come back yet."

"What have you been doing?" George asked, knowing full well that Dumbledore hadn't told them the whole truth when he had told them that Harry had run away.

"Training," he sighed. "If I have to defeat Voldemort, and I do, there is no way I can do it with nothing more than my Hogwarts' education. That's why I can't come back just yet. Please, guys, don't tell anyone."

He was pleading and he knew it but he really didn't want to have to run and risk his freedom. Thankfully, the twins didn't seem to mind so much now that they knew the reason he had decided he needed to get away.

"We won't call anyone until you're gone, but let us tell mom and the rest that you're alright, okay? We have been worried sick!"

Harry had the good grace of looking at least a bit sheepish at that but he still nodded.

"Okay, you do that. But really, don't worry; I'm in a safe place. Hell, it's probably safer than Hogwarts. And I'm with someone… someone I love very much," he ended, knowing that his voice would give away the real meaning of his sentence. "Now, why don't you tell me about what's been going on?"

And, like that, for the next hour, the twins switched their shop's signal, putting it on 'closed' and brought Harry up to date about everything that had happened. The news weren't all that good. Oh, no one he knew had been killed or even too much injured, but there were more and more death-eaters raids and dementors' attacks bringing havoc a bit everywhere. And people were getting more and more worried about his not being there. If it wasn't for Snape's assurance that Voldemort was getting crazy not being able to locate him, they would all think that he had been killed by the dark lord.

He was also told about the new potions professor – and god, was he glad that he hadn't stayed to have Snape as a defense teacher! – who apparently couldn't stop talking about Lily Evans, his mother, who had been one of his favorite pupils during his whole teaching career.

After a while, Harry promised that he could contact someone else soon enough and promptly excused himself, leaving before it was too late. He really didn't wish to stay for too long, there was always a risk, but he had liked to chat with the twins. The two also made him promise that, when he was coming back, he would have to take his 'friend' with him because they wanted to be introduced to the person who had been able to catch the savior of the Wizarding world's heart. Harry had just laughed and promised that he would bring _him_ before getting out, laughing, leaving two shell-shocked redheads behind him

He had thought that he was going back immediately but he caught sight of what he knew by the twins' description to be Slughorn, the new potions professor. Normally, it wouldn't have been anything that would have made him take notice, he after all didn't know the man at all, but he heard him muttering to himself, a bottle of what seemed to be firewhiskey in hand, about 'Riddle' and 'immortality'. Harry just couldn't let it pass. If Slughorn did know something about what had allowed Voldemort to survive for so long, he had to find out.

That didn't turn out to be as difficult as he would have thought. He was able to drag the man into the Hog's Head, the same pub they had used for their initial encounter of the DA. He made sure that no one could listen though the silencing bubble charm he put around them and chit chatted with him for a while. He discreetly put a self-filling charm on the bottle after asking the barman for a butterbeer and waited for the man to be drunk enough.

Once it was done, he began to ask questions and, though he did feel bad for it, emotionally blackmailed him, guiltying him with what had happened to his mom, to Lily Evans, when Voldemort had attacked his family that night, telling him that revealing what he knew about Voldemort's seeming immortality would absolve him of his sins, when it became clear that the man was blaming himself for what Riddle had been able to accomplish.

Finally, Slughorn cracked and, using a vial that was inside one of his robe's pocket, he retrieved a memory, putting it inside before handing it to Harry. He assured the young man that it was everything he knew and, eventually, the alcohol cursing too strongly into his system, the teacher simply passed out on the table.

Harry went to the bartender and told him that he would better call Hogwarts to get someone to take Slughorn back to the castle. He also paid for his drink and, vial solidly in hand, he apparated back to New York.

When he arrived at the Institute, it wasn't as late as he had thought it would be but it was already late enough for people to have noticed his absence. And that had to be the reason why Scott was waiting for him right in the middle of the living room, looking downright pissed off.

"Hi!" he greeted sheepishly.

"Now where the hell were you, Harry?" Scott demanded to know and all the students that were around suddenly found themselves captivated by their shoes or books, trying very hard not to look at them.

"Ah…. Didn't the Professor tell you?" Harry asked innocently and even Rogue, who was not easily afraid, was thinking him very brave to answer to Scott like that when he was clearly not in a very good mood.

"Yes, he did. What were you thinking going back there alone?"

Before Harry had even time to open his mouth in indignation, Scott continued.

"I need to talk to you."

The 'alone' was left unsaid but Harry heard it nonetheless. He followed his lover, muttering a 'yes sir' that got him a glare from the man. He heard Kitty whisper a low 'good luck' in his ear while Bobby looked at him with something akin to pity. Normally, that would have pissed him off but, knowing what Bobby was thinking, it just made him smile inside.

Of course, he lost his smile as soon as the door closed itself behind them, when Scott turned to him furiously.

"How could you do something so stupid, Harry!" he exclaimed.

"Excuse me? I did know what I was doing!" Harry said, beginning to lose his calm. "Don't go around treating me as if I was still a child, Scott."

"You are a child!"

The retort stayed caught in Harry's throat when he heard those words. A child? That was how Scott saw him, how his _lover_ saw him? Scott understood his mistakes at once and wished he could take it back.

"I'm a child?" Harry repeated incredulously. "God, Scott, then what the hell does that make _you_?"

Okay, he did deserve that one.

"That's not what I meant," he argued.

"Then what did you mean?" Harry asked furiously.

"I… You could have been found out and, then, what would have happened, huh? They would have taken you back to that school of yours and you would have left me again!" he said forcefully before sitting down heavily on his bed, losing all the fight in him. "I don't want to fight with you, Harry."

So that was why Scott was so mad at him, because he had been scared of Harry being taken away from him once again. Harry felt his throat constrict under the realization and his anger melted. Almost of their own accord, his fingers went to caress Scott's cheek. The mutant couldn't help leaning into the touch.

"I'm not leaving," he said with conviction. "Not again, I promise. And this time I've got the powers to make sure to keep this promise."

I couldn't stand to lose you, not now, not after…"

Harry didn't need to hear Scott say it to know that he was talking about how he had lost Jean. Harry smiled sadly and brought his lips to Scott's in a chaste kiss.

"You won't lose me, Scott. And if it makes you feel better, next time I'll take you with me," he murmured before once again kissing him.

They soon lost themselves in their sensations and the vial in which Slughorn's memories resided laid on the nightstand, forgotten for the time being.


	9. Chapter 8

**Title**: Harry Potter and the Horcruxes' Quest

**Genre**: slight AU, crossover (HP/X-men), slash

**Characters**: Harry/Scott, cast

**Disclaimer**: Characters are not mine; they belong to their respective creators

**Summary**: After OotP, Harry decides to run away in order to train to be ready to face Voldemort. He goes to find the one person he trusted as a child: Scott Summer. Sparks fly. Spoilers for HBP and DH.

**Note**: This chapter has not been beta-readed and English is not my first language. I hope it's still readable.

**_Thanks to all of those who reviewed_**

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Chapter 8

It didn't take very long for Harry to be reminded of the necessity of looking at Slughorn's memories. Actually, as soon as the diner was over, Harry rushed back to his room, after saying good night to everyone and promising Scott he would know about what was going on soon enough. He made sure that no one would be able to enter before putting the memories in a pensieve that he had bought not too long after his arrival at the Institute. He had mostly used it to help him keep his nightmares at bay by lessening the intensity of some memories for a while but he had, of course, put them back in his head soon afterwards, knowing it wasn't good to let them fester in the pensieve for too long.

As soon as he had done that, he readied himself to face whatever he would see inside and dove into it without as much as a second thought. The flow of colors and sounds that reached both his eyes and his ears as he made his way down to the middle of the memory was as bad as he remembered from his multiple trips inside Dumbledore's or Snape's pensieve.

What he saw was enough to make his blood run cold.

It was the memory of a conversation between a much younger Professor Slughorn and a sixteen-year old Tom Riddle. There was no mistaking that the two of them were closer than most teacher and students. They seemed to know each other really well and it probably wasn't the first time they had shared a conversation outside of the realm of class work. It reminded Harry about his and Lupin's conversation in third year.

It was the subject of the conversation though that scared Harry. It was the first time he had heard the word _horcrux _but as soon as Slughorn began his explanation, he understood why. It was dark magic, probably the darkest sort to exist. It dealt with death and the absolute necessity of human sacrifices to hide a part of one's soul in an outside object as a safe keep.

So that was why Voldemort didn't die that night; it was because he still had part of his soul somewhere else and, if Harry wasn't mistaking, he hadn't created only one horcrux. No, like he had asked Slughorn if it was possible, he had created seven of them1.

Of course, he knew that seven was a very powerful number in magic and it made a lot of sense that Riddle would have wanted that. He wanted to achieve immortality and he just couldn't content himself with only one horcrux. It was too little. But seven, how could there still be some part of him that was human? It wasn't possible. His soul was way too much damaged for that.

However, when he left the pensieve, it wasn't the idea of Voldemort having done so many horcruxes that bothered him. No, it wasn't that that made him want to scream and cry at the injustice that was life. It was the thought that no matter how much training he could get, no matter how hard he 

worked to be able to face Voldemort, he wouldn't survive the final encounter, not if he wanted Voldemort dead and unable to ever return.

Killing someone before trapping a piece of one's soul inside something outside one's body was the recipe for making a horcrux. And that night of October, Voldemort had killed Lily Potter and let a part of himself inside Harry. Even if he doubted that it was like that that Voldemort had intended to do it, Harry had become his last horcrux that night, instead of being the sacrifice for it, as Voldemort had probably planned. It meant that he had to die in order to put an end to the war.

A few months ago, he wouldn't have minded. A few months ago, he would have welcomed the idea of death with open arms. But now, now that he had found a place he could call home as well as someone he loved and who loved him, he couldn't stand the thought of giving it up and, yet, knew that he had no other choice than do so. Silently, the tears began to run down his cheeks.

Barely able to contain the sobs that were threatening to bubble out, he quickly cast a silencing charm on his room, making sure that no one would hear him cry his heart out and simply lied on his bed, face down, as he began to cry in his earnest, the sobs raking his body, until he felt asleep from sheer emotional exhausting on a last thought.

_I'm sorry Scott. Seems I won't be able to keep that promise after all…_

Strangely, even with the revelation of his inescapable death, Harry didn't dream at all that night and he was very well rested when he woke up the following day. He didn't feel any sadness or anger anymore, only resignation. There was no way to avoid his destiny but he could at least make sure that he would live his last few months in this world normally, without anyone wanting to comfort or pity him. He couldn't let people know what the price to pay for Voldemort's ultimate demise was. They wouldn't understand.

That was why, when he went to breakfast, he made sure to have his emotions almost totally in check. Of course, it wasn't because they weren't able to see how deep his turmoil ran that there were unable to see that something wasn't right at all.

"What's up Harry?" Kurt asked. "You seem perturbed."

Most of the others murmured their agreement and Harry knew that he couldn't lie to them, even though there was no way that he was going to say the entire truth.

"I- I've found something out, yesterday. Something that explain a lot and that could be the key to defeat Voldemort," he said.

"_X-Men, we should reunite later on to talk about that,"_ Charles' voice resonated in all their minds, wanting to avoid talking about such a subject in front of the students.

Harry nodded, approving the idea of not including the youngest one in that particular discussion. They all finished they breakfast without a word on the magical world but it didn't put out the inevitable for too long anyway. Before he knew it, all the X-Men were gathered inside Charles' office, waiting for Harry to talk to them about his discoveries.

"So, Harry, you say you may have found out something that could lead you to the key of Voldemort's downfall. What is it?" the Professor asked and all the others were riveted to his lips, waiting to know the answer themselves.

"He made horcruxes," Harry said. "This is why he couldn't be killed fifteen years ago and why he still can't be killed at the moment."

If most people were unable to comprehend what was being said, Charles, on the other hand, was and he paled considerably.

"Dear God and you say he made more than one?"

"Six," Harry said. "He made six."

As soon as the words left his mouth, he felt Logan's eyes on him and he knew that the other man had been able to smell his lie as easily as he had smelt Scott's sent on him since the first night they had spent together. He knew that the feral wasn't going to say anything in public and would most likely come to talk with him later, demanding answer Harry wasn't yet ready to give but, for now, he could avoid the confrontation.

"And what is a horcrux, sugar?" Rogue asked while everyone else was approving the question.

However, Harry wasn't the one to answer; it was Xavier. Harry let the man do the explanation, without trying to answer himself because he didn't know a lot about the subject.

"It is a container, for lack of better term, for a part of your soul."

"What do you mean, Professor, you can't separate your soul in different parts," Scott told him, not understanding what his mentor was saying.

Harry would probably have reacted about the same way if he hadn't seen Voldemort during his time as a shadow and the face he wore once resurrected. It was so far away from something human that it hadn't even surprised him to learn that the wizard dark lord didn't have his whole soul within his body. He wasn't human anymore.

Harry would have reacted the same way if he hadn't seen Voldemort during his time as a shadow and the face he was resurrected with. It was so far away from human that it didn't even surprise him to learn that he didn't have his whole soul within his body. He wasn't human anymore.

"Unfortunately, Scott, it is very possible," Xavier said sadly.

"How? How can an abomination like that be?" Ororo asked, unnerved at the sole thought of committing such an act against nature.

"Murder," Harry whispered and all eyes turned to him. "When you kill an innocent, you lose a part of yourself. When you make a horcrux, you capture that part and imprison it inside something."

"Why would anyone do that?" Kitty asked, horrified.

"Immortality, Miss Pride," Xavier interjected. "For as long as there is one horcrux left, the person it belongs to cannot be killed. This is how Voldemort survived when the killing curse reflected on him."

"Why six, Harry?" Scott asked.

He already didn't like the idea that someone should be able to cut his own soul in two parts but in so many?

"He was actually aiming for seven, not six, but he didn't have time to make the last one before that Halloween. I suspect that he wanted me to be the sacrifice that would serve to make his seventh horcrux but, since he wasn't able to kill me, he never did," Harry said.

This time, though, he wasn't lying. He had thought about it during the morning and, since Voldemort knew he was the one supposed to defeat him, it stood to reason that he would have wanted for him to be the one he would kill to achieve his final step toward what he considered to be immortality.

"And he wanted seven because it is a very powerful number in magic," Xavier finished for him. "Interesting and frightening."

Harry approved.

"He said it himself, he went further along the path of immortality than anyone before him did. And as long as these horcruxes aren't destroyed, he won't die. I need to find all of them and destroy them."

"How can you do it?" Bobby asked and Harry knew that the boy would help him out all the way if he could.

"I've got a pretty good idea about how to destroy them. I- I actually destroyed one of them a few years ago," he added with a forced laugh. "But I will need some inside help."

He knew that he needed to get inside Hogwarts and that the only way for him to do so was to have someone from the magical world helping him. Thankfully, he knew who would do it and smiled at the thought of seeing him again.

"Ye're intending on going back in that school of yours?" Logan asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Don't have much choice," Harry sighed. "I need a basilisk fang and I can't exactly go and buy him one at the nearest supermarket. Doesn't matter though, I know someone who will help me and not snitch on me to the Headmaster so no worry about it."

"You're not going alone," Scott stated and Harry almost rolled his eyes at his lover.

"Nope, you're coming with me," he answered, smiling innocently and he heard Logan snort while some others were snickering. "But that won't happen for now because, well I need to find these bloody horcruxes before destroying them and don't know much about what it could be."

"You do not have the slightest idea?" Ororo asked.

"One… one has already been destroyed, like I said. It was a diary. A diary that was here to open the Chamber of Secrets and honor Salazar Slytherin. It's not too farfetched to think that he would have something for the other founders too but the question is, was he able to have something for all four of them or not?"

"So, there is a diary and at the maximum three others," Hank, the blue doctor, stated. "There are still two missing."

"I think that one is Nagini. I mean, come on, the guy cares more about his snake than his followers! Other than that, I'm raking my mind but I'm not sure how I'll find out."

"Do not forget to ask for help should you need to retrieve them once you have been able to determine what they are and where," Xavier reminded Harry.

"I won't, Professor. Thank you," Harry said sincerely.

The reunion ended on these words and Harry went back to his room, able to avoid Logan and his questions about his little lie at the beginning of the séance he didn't know for how long he would be able to go before he had to tell the feral the truth but he knew that he would have to sooner or later. 

Thankfully, it was more than probably that the man would actually respect his wishes and not tell anyone else.

As soon as he entered his room, Harry went back to the potion he was making. It had been a while now since he had completed the temporary version and he had, not too long ago, found out how to make it permanent. Oh, not alone, of course, he had had some help. He had actually sent a letter to Snape, signing it by saying he was a former student of his which, technically, was the truth. Thankfully, his handwriting was substantially different when he was using a muggle pen so the man would never recognize it. The potion Master, though not having any idea of what potion his correspondent was making, had been able to point him in the right direction and, thanks to him, after a few botched attempts, Harry had succeeded in finding the right formula. He had worked on brewing the final draw since the week before.

He had had to let it rest for forty-eight hours before he could add the last ingredient in the mix, which he did at that moment. Now, all he had to do was waiting for five minutes and, if it was correct, it should take a deep purple color. Once that done, he would be able to take if off the fire.

He had just finished adding what was needed and had looked at his watch to control the time when he heard someone knock at his door before opening it. He looked up and, seeing Scott, motioned for him to come in.

"What's up?" Harry asked a bit puzzled about why the man wanted to see him so soon after the end of the reunion.

Scott gracefully dropped on the ground, at Harry's side, and kissed the young man as they hadn't been able to greet each other properly yet that morning. When they drew back, Harry was smiling, as was Scott, even though he still seemed a little worried.

"Is there something you didn't tell us at the reunion?" he asked, hoping that Harry wouldn't take it wrong.

Harry shook his head. He may have hated to lie to Scott but he just couldn't stand to break his heart by telling him the whole truth.

"No. I'm just worried about how to find the horcruxes and… well, aggravated because I'm fairly sure that Dumbledore knew about that and didn't see fit to tell me," he sighed.

He leant back to comfortably rest his back against Scott's body and watched intently as his potion slowly turned purple, a small smile gracing his face as he saw that it was a success. He spared another look for his watch and, after waiting a few more seconds, turned off the fire.

"What is it?" Scott asked, intrigued.

Harry turned to him and gave him a ten-thousand watt smile, happy that he would finally be able to give his lover his sight back.

"This is something for both you and Rogue," he said, knowing that Scott would immediately understand and chuckling at the way Scott's jaw dropped as soon as he figured out the meaning of his words.

1 I know that it HBP, they say there are six horcruxes because he separated his soul in seven pieces. But if you remember correctly, Harry's first thought was that there were seven of them, not six, and it's Dumbledore that told him it was wrong. Since Dumbledore is not here, it means that Harry stay with his first impression.


	10. Chapter 9

**Title**: Harry Potter and the Horcruxes' Quest

**Genre**: slight AU, crossover (HP/X-men), slash

**Characters**: Harry/Scott, cast

**Disclaimer**: Characters are not mine; they belong to their respective creators

**Summary**: After OotP, Harry decides to run away in order to train to be ready to face Voldemort. He goes to find the one person he trusted as a child: Scott Summer. Sparks fly. Spoilers for HBP and DH.

**Note**: This chapter has not been beta-readed and English is not my first language. I hope it's still readable.

**_Thanks to all of those who reviewed!_**

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Chapter 9

"_This is something for both you and Rogue," he said, knowing that Scott would immediately understand and chuckling at the way Scott's jaw dropped as soon as he figured out the meaning of his words._

"You're kidding?" he couldn't help asking, finding that too good to be true.

Thankfully, Harry seemed to understand where Scott was coming from and didn't take offense. He shook his head, making sure that his lover could see his eyes to see the sincerity inside of them

"No, it's true. I've finished it and, well, I know that technically, it should be tested. I mean I haven't done so on any human beings but I know it's going to work. I wouldn't even contemplate giving in to anyone if I wasn't a hundred percent sure; it would be way too dangerous."

Harry was careful in filling up a few vials, already knowing that there was about ninety-nine percent of chance that Hank would like to study thoroughly the potions and, of course, one for both Scott and Rogue. Once that it was done, he used a few cleaning charms to take care of all the mess he had made in his improvised laboratory and turned back to see that Scott was still in shock.

"It's ready to be taken," Harry said carefully. "But maybe it would be better if you went to the hospital wing to do it. I mean, normally, nothing bad for your health you happen but there is always a risk in medicine, whether it's muggle or wizard."

Scott had some difficulty to swallow, realizing what all of that meant for him. Sure, he had used the temporary potion that Harry had made a few times before, when they had been inside their rooms. He hadn't wanted to do it outside, not wanting people to see and ask too much questions about it. He really hadn't wanted Rogue to get her hopes up if it turned out that Harry wasn't able to make a potion that could repair their control permanently. But now, it was apparently done and he was offered something that he had yearned since they day his power had manifested itself.

"I… I will take it to test it first," Scott stated. "Then I will go to the infirmary and have Hank examine me and, if everything is fine, we will give it to Marie."

Harry looked at Scott for a few seconds before handing him one of the two larger vials. He waited in silence while Scott gently opened it and watched it for a while, hands trembling at the thought of what was going to happen once he had swallowed the content. Harry understood and simply kept his mouth shut, watching him intently, knowing how important it was for the older man.

Finally, Scott ported it at his lips and swallowed the entirety of the liquid in one go. He handed back the vial to Harry and worried his lower lip, wondering if anything was supposed to happen. He didn't have to wait too long before he felt a blinding pain in his skull.

"Oh, god," he croaked as he was forced to close his eyes, taking his head in his hands and breathing hard.

Harry flinched. The pain that Scott was feeling may have meant that the potion was working the way it should, repairing the brain lesion, but that didn't mean he was happy to see his lover in pain. He crawled on his knees to the other man and sat cross-legged on the floor, forcing Scott to rest his head in his laps. Slowly, he combed his fingers through the brown hair.

"It won't be very long, I promise. I'm sorry I totally forgot to tell you it would hurt. It's the damage repairing itself, don't worry about it."

The soothing sound of Harry's voice and the meaning of the words he was using were enough to calm Scott down. It was still hurting pretty badly but he already could feel the pain lessen and it made his breathing somewhat easier. Eventually, the pain faded away completely and he was able to concentrate totally on the touch of Harry's finger caressing his skull; he was almost purring with contentment.

"_Scott? Are you well?"_

The Professor's voice reached his mind, sounding more worried than he had ever heard it. He realized that Xavier must have felt the pain that had coursed through him before and had been unable to reach him for the whole duration of the healing.

"_Yes, Professor. I'll talk to you later."_

He finally opened his eyes and found himself face to face with Harry who was watching him apologetically. He smiled to him, making him understand that he wasn't mad at him for forgetting to tell him the slight side effect of the potion.

"Hey," he said, grinning, putting himself in a sitting position.

"Hey…. Good news is, it worked," Harry said with a little grin of his own, now that he was sure that the man wasn't upset. "So you can get out of your glasses."

Scott but his lips and slowly took off the ruby accessory, not even bothering to close his eyes this time around, he trusted Harry and it was more than obvious that the young wizard knew that he was doing with these potions. Plus, even though he couldn't really explain it, he could feel that he was able to control the laser now, that it wasn't on constant on.

"This is great Harry. Are you really sure that it's… permanent?"

He just couldn't help asking. He had to know, had to know that it was really the truth and he wasn't sure if he could believe it, even if it was Harry that said it.

He couldn't help asking. He had to know, had to know that it was truth and he wasn't sure if he could believe it, even if Harry said it.

"You should ask Dr. McCoy to do a brain scan. Normally, if it's permanent, it should be back to normal. The potion that I've given you before, since they are only temporary, wouldn't have healed the damaged, just have some magic create a kind of bridge, like when you repair something with duct tape, and it wouldn't have been visible on the scan. It would have looked the same way it did since the accident."

Scott nodded. The explanation actually made sense to him, which was a lot more than he could say about most things that concerned magic, as he had begun to see since Harry had come back into his life. It didn't bother him as much as he would have thought but, sometimes, it was nice to be able to follow the reasoning.

"You're coming me with?" he asked his lover.

Harry acquiesced and they were almost out of the room when Scott stopped dead in his track and decided otherwise.

"What are you doing?" Harry asked when the man turned around.

"If we want to make sure everything is alright before telling Rogue, I need to put my glasses back on," the mutant explained.

Harry hadn't thought about but he had to admit it made sense. It wouldn't do at all to get the girl's hope up if it was to crush it later. Of course, Harry was more than sure it was right but he could understand Scott's need to have it scientifically verified.

Their made their way to the hospital wing without meeting anyone who would have asked questions. To say that Hank was stunned to see them walking voluntarily in what he viewed his territory would have been an understatement. He had already knew long before he came back to the Institute that Scott didn't like being down there much but had come to learn that Harry was even worse. His puzzlement over the matter only grew stronger when he saw Scott take off his ruby glasses without closing his eyes in the process. He was ready to duck when he realized that no red ray was coming towards him.

"What? But how?"

The blue mutant was totally speechless and Harry had to use his hand to conceal a smile. Scott didn't even bother to do that much.

"I need you to give me a brain scan, Hank," he asked him. "We need to know if the lesion if really repaired or not."

Hank shut his mouth and looked first at Scott, then at Harry and the proverbial light bulb lit up in his mind.

"You used your magic to heal Scott?" he asked the young wizard.

Harry nodded and then processed to explain everything he had done with the potion and how it should show on a scanner if it was really healed instead of only having the potion giving a temporary magical help. It would have been a gigantic underestimation to say that the doctor was almost ecstatic at the possibility of that potion and he all but showed Scott under the scanner to make sure of his total and complete healing.

It didn't take him all that long to find out that, yes, Harry had really done what all of them had despaired to ever do and had given Cyclops the control of his mutation back. As soon as the result was dropped the mutant hugged Harry, not able to say anything to thank him properly. Not that Harry wanted any reconnaissance; he loved Scott and just wanted to make him happy by any mean possible. And if he could help someone else in the process, then all the better.

"Harry," Hank said, forcing the two lovers to break their embrace. "May I have some of that potion to study it, if it's possible of course?"

Harry laughed out loud at the fact that the blue mutant was reaction exactly as he had been certain he would and gave him the vials he had taken with him. He also gave him the one that contained slightly more liquid than the others.

"This one is for Rogue," he explained. "Now that we're sure that it worked, we should give it to her. No reason to make her wait anymore."

"Of course, of course! I'm telling the Professor to fetch her and bring her down here," Doctor McCoy said quickly, already calling Charles in his mind and explaining the situation.

Harry smiled to him before turning to Scott.

"I have to go back to my room. There is something that's been nagging me for a while and I want to think some more about it. It's about one of these horcruxes… I'm not leaving the mansion, so don't worry."

Scott frowned but didn't comment on it. The young wizard would certainly tell him later on, once he was sure about what was going on. Plus, it wasn't as he had to tell him everything, as long as he wasn't doing anything dangerous. They were lovers but that didn't mean that he had to answer to him every time he wished to do something. Nevertheless, there was something he had to ask.

"You want me to come with you?"

"Nah," Harry answered with a smile. "You better stay here with Rogue while Doctor McCoy administers the cure. Don't forget to warn her it's going to hurt like hell for a moment."

"Oh yeah, you mean like you warned me!" he exclaimed without any venom.

Harry pouted a little and Hank, who was watching the two of them banter, couldn't help smiling. It was nice to see Scott enjoy life once again.

"What can I say? I was so distracted by your unequaled beauty that I just couldn't think straight," Harry dramatically, a hand over his heart and he made sure to ignore the snort coming from the blue doctor.

"Go Harry!" Scott said with exasperation but smiling at his lover's antics.

Harry grinned and gave him a peck on the cheek, which could be interpreted as a friendly way to cloture that particular conversation, before leaving the hospital wing, leaving both mutants behind him. His joyous demeanor changed once he was out and he continued walking with assurance and determination, with a new seriousness, to his room.

On his way, he met Xavier and Rogue. The young woman obviously wasn't aware of what was going on and seemed to think that she was in trouble but the Professor was smiling, happy for these two children of his as he was considering both his student and teacher.

"Harry, I don't think I can thank you properly for loving enough to give him such a marvelous gift," the Professor said and Harry saw Rogue frown, as if trying to comprehend what the man was saying.

"It was only fair to do what I did since I had the competence, Professor Xavier," Harry said, not able to prevent himself from taking a more serious pattern of speech. "I would have done the same regardless of the strength of my feelings towards him."

Xavier inclined his head, closing his eyes for a second only, before continuing his way, Rogue alongside of him. Harry watched them leave with a smile, knowing that the young woman would probably be happier from now on and that her relationship with Bobby would finally blossom the way they both wanted it too.

Harry was almost in his room when he once again encountered someone, someone he would have preferred to avoid for a little while more truth to be told.

"Not so fast, kid," a growling voice told him as he was about to enter his room. "Before ye go, I want to know why ye lied."

Harry turned to face Logan and reflected for a while about how to tell him what he had to. He would rather have kept his secret but he knew that any lie that he would tell would be detected as soon as it crossed his lips. Another lie wouldn't help the situation any. He sighed.

"Can we not do that in the middle of the hall? If I'm telling you, you have to promise me that no one else will now, understood? I know you're able to protect your mind from Xavier."

Logan grunted as he entered the young wizard's room and looked at Harry as if trying to see inside his very soul.

"Depends of the reason of the secrecy. If it's dangerous for the X-Men or the kids, I ain't keeping yer little secrets."

"It's not," Harry cut him off. "You really think I would do something like that? No… The only one in danger is me and it's not because I'm keeping it secret either. It wouldn't change anything if they knew. I just… They wouldn't understand."

"Wouldn't understand what kid?" Logan asked.

He knew that he wasn't known for his tact or ever his empathy but he genuinely cared for the kid and he smelled so miserable at the moment that he wanted to help him. But if he wanted to be able to, he first had to know what was going on.

"There are seven horcruxes," he said, finally taking a decision. "Not six. I didn't lie when I said it didn't turn out as he had planned. He wanted for me to be the sacrifice for his last horcrux but it went wrong and… the sacrifice was made when my mom was killed," Harry continued in a whisper. "And when Voldemort was banished, when the killing curse was reflected to him, the fragment of his soul that wasn't attached to the rest went to the only living body in the room. He made me his seven horcrux. I have to die."

Logan didn't know what he could say to make things better simply because he knew that nothing he could ever do or say would be enough. The way life was wasn't faire. Harry was only sixteen and he already had to bear the knowledge that his own demise was needed to save the world.

Harry turned to him, unshed tears sparkling in his eyes.

"You can't tell them that. They wouldn't understand, they would try to make me change my mind. I don't want to fight them all the way to my death. I want to enjoy the time I've left," he said, throat constricted. "Just promise me… promise me that you will take care of him."

He was biting his lips to the point where he could taste the blood into his mouth but he couldn't feel the physical pain, not with the turmoil that had invaded his mind at the moment. He didn't want to break down if front of anyone and he knew that if he didn't get away soon, if they continued their conversation, he would. However, he had to know Logan's answer first. He had to know that someone would be there for Scott once he was dead.

Logan understood both point and Harry didn't have to say his lover's name for him to know who he was talking about. He nodded solemnly.

"I will," he promised and, for once, his tone wasn't gruff but almost gentle.

_But I don't think it will be enough this time_ _around_, was the unvoiced thought that crossed his mind as he made his way out of Harry's room.

The young wizard stayed calm for a few minutes, trying to regain control of himself before thinking back about the reason he was there first place and settling his mind on the task at hand, which was finding what to do in regard of the last horcrux, the one he had absolutely no idea about.

Since he had entered the hospital wing before, the memory of a conversation with Sirius kept coming back to him; why, he had no idea but it just wouldn't leave him alone. He remembered his godfather telling him about his little brother and how he had fist joined Voldemort only to desert him afterwards, when he realized what the man was really doing. He had paid with his life but Regulus had been a Slytherin and Harry couldn't imagine him trying to do something as stupid as leaving the dark lord without an assurance. It may not have worked out as intended, but he was sure that he had had something. Something he thought was too precious for Voldemort to risk its loss by killing off Regulus. Something like a part of his own soul.

The more Harry thought about it, the more sense it made, even the part where Voldemort killed Regulus anyway; after all, he had more than one horcrux, se why bother giving in into blackmail when it wasn't all that important first place? And if Regulus had taken and hidden it somewhere, there was one person who would know all about it. Now, he just had to be convincing enough without even being able to talk to him directly.

Concentrating with all his will on his faithful little friend, he called Dobby to him in his mind, hoping against all odds that the little elf would feel the pull of the bond they had formed through the years. Oh, he wasn't his master and it was nothing like one of those particular bond, but it was a bond nonetheless, one an elf was free to give to whoever they wanted it they weren't part of a family.

Thankfully, it was strong enough and Dobby appeared out of thin air, joyous as Harry had ever seen him.

"Oh! Harry Potter Sir is alright!" he exclaimed. "And he is willing to talk with Dobby! Dobby didn't think he would see Harry Potter Sir before he is ready to come back to Hogwarts."

Harry kneeled down in front of the little creature and smiled to him.

"I'm happy to see you too Dobby. And I really need your help. Would you be willing to do something for me?"

"Of course, Harry Potter Sir!" Dobby said, puffing his chest, happy to be able to help the great Harry Potter.

"I need you to go to Grimmauld Place and talk to Kreacher. You won't have any problem, even if it's under Fidelius, right?"

Dobby shook his head.

"No. Wizards think elf not a menace. They don't care about them."

Harry smiled.

"Well, there are stupid. Now, listen to me very attentively, it's important that you tell him exactly what I'm going to say."

He waited until he saw Dobby nod, showing that he was very attentive.

"I need you to tell him that I knew what Regulus wanted to do when he left the Dark Lord," he said, hating to use that title but knowing that it would be necessary with Kreacher. "I want you to tell him that I want to finish what he had begun but that, for that, I need him to help me out. I need him to tell me about the object that Regulus stole from the Dark Lord and where I can find it. If he does tell me about that, I will be able to do what Regulus wanted and destroy it before destroying the Dark Lord, destroying the one that killed Regulus."

Dobby nodded and disappeared at the exact same moment where Kurt showed up in his room. The blue mutant opened and closed his mouth in surprise a few time, his eyes as wide as a saucer.

"Mein Gott, what was that?"

Harry smiled at the awe he could hear in the young man's voice.

"That was Dobby, Kurt. He's a house-elf. Why don't you just sit around? He's going to come back so I'll introduce you to him."

Kurt nodded and sat down on Harry's bed, chatting with him. He didn't have any particular reason for seeking the young wizard's company except that he liked him and knew that the feeling was mutual. And it was nice to know that his interlocutor couldn't have cared less about his appearance.

They were interrupted after a while by a dark-tornado opened the room and literally jumping on Harry, hugging the daylight out of him.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you," Rogue repeated again and again in his ear before kissing him strongly on the lips.

It didn't last any more than a second but, when she broke away, she couldn't help blushing.

"Sorry, sugar. I don't know what came over me. Thought, if I wasn't already taken," she leered, trying to dissolve the awkwardness that had settled between them and succeeding.

"And if I wasn't either," Harry added with a smirk, knowing that none of them were aware of his true relationship with Scott.

"Oh, so you do have a girl back home," Rogue said in a knowing tone.

"Who is it?" Kurt asked at the exact same time.

Harry gave them both a wicked smile and told them in the sweetest voice possible that it was a secret.

Before any of them had the time to complain about the lack of forthcoming information, Dobby reappeared once again in the room and Rogue let out a small yelp while Kurt, startled, fell of the bed. Harry since at that and looked back at Dobby who looked like a deer caught in the light.

"Dobby, this is Rogue and Kurt," he told the little elf, motioning in the direction of his friends. "Guys, this is Dobby. He's a very good friend of mine."

"Oh, you is friend with Harry Potter Sir!" Dobby exclaimed enthusiastically. "You must be great muggles! Dobby happy knowing but, Harry Potter Sir, Dobby must go back to Hogwarts before Dumbledore notice that he is not here. Kreacher give Dobby that locket. Harry Potter Sir must be careful. It feel wrong, feel like death."

Harry looked at the locket that the house-elf was handing his and, when he closed his hand around the chain, he was almost able to feel the power that was inside it. It was bad and he knew that he 

would have to take care of it very soon if he didn't want it to take control of him. Something so dark could only be tantalizing, no matter how much you knew it was bad for you.

"Thank you, Dobby," Harry whispered.

The little elf excitedly said goodbye to the three teenagers before teleporting back to Hogwarts, leaving them alone in the room.

"What is it, Harry?" Rogue asked, seeing the boy's eyes still locked with the locket.

"A horcrux," he murmured.

Both Rogue and Kurt looked at the pendant balancing back and forth at the end of the chain in a silent mix of horror and awe.

"Mein Gott," Kurt whispered again.


	11. Chapter 10

**Title**: Harry Potter and the Horcruxes' Quest

**Genre**: slight AU, crossover (HP/X-men), slash

**Characters**: Harry/Scott, cast

**Disclaimer**: Characters are not mine; they belong to their respective creators

**Summary**: After OotP, Harry decides to run away in order to train to be ready to face Voldemort. He goes to find the one person he trusted as a child: Scott Summer. Sparks fly. Spoilers for HBP and DH.

**Note**: This chapter has not been beta-readed and English is not my first language. I hope it's still readable.

**_Thanks to all of those who reviewed!_**

It didn't take very long for everyone in the mansion – well, everyone who had been at the reunion to hear Harry's explanation – to be made aware of the horcrux' presence in Harry's room. Of course, everyone had been warned off it by Harry's himself.

The young wizard hadn't even tried to touch it directly. He only ever used the chain when he wanted to move it because he had absolutely no idea of what would happen if he were to couch it without any protection. It contained a bit of Voldemort's soul and, knowing how dark his soul was, he preferred not to take any risk and not his friend do so either.

All the more reasons for hurrying in destroying it, he knew. Of course, if he had to go to Hogwarts, he had to take a lot of precaution first but, before doing this, he had to look into the Founder's personal belongings to be sure that none of them were still in the School. After all, it wouldn't do so well to have to go back there twice. Once was already pushing his luck, but twice!

That was why he was now studying the uncut version of _Hogwarts, a History_ that was, unfortunately for Hermione, not allowed in England. There were a lot of things the British government didn't want known and they had banned the complete version of the book, allowing only the censured version that was at the students' disposition in the Hogwarts Library.

However, he had to admit that it had to be the best book to find information on the four Founders or, anyway, about what related the four Founder to Hogwarts and what they had left there as a inheritance for their future students. That way, it was very easy for Harry to determine what were the objects supposedly transformed in Horcruxes by Voldemort.

He had already been able to determine what had been for Salazar Slytherin and he wasn't all that surprised to discover that they were two objects for his ancestor. There was the locket, that he discovered belonged to Slytherin but the man had also left something for his descendants and the students of his House inside the castle: the Chamber and the Basilisk. But, since de could transform neither of these two in receptacles for his soul, he had then found a way to make sure that the diary was related to the events of the Chamber's opening and would reenact it as a tribute to the effigy of his House.

He had been right when he had said that Voldemort may not have successes in finding all three other founders' relic because, apparently, the one thing that Griffindor had left behind was the sword he had sued in his second years and there was no way that it was a horcrux, not since the only people who were able to take it off the Hat had to be true griffindors. Of course, the bad side of things was that there was still a horcrux left that he knew nothing about.

However, he had guessed what the other two were and, if one of them would be most difficult to acquire, since he didn't knew where it was, the one belonging to Rowena Ravenclaw was rumored to still be inside Hogwarts. Of course, he had no idea where exactly and he would also need some inside 

help for that to. He hoped that he would succeed in taking both Ravenclaw's diadem and the basilisk fang at the same time because he really didn't want to have to go back once again.

For the moment, he was waiting patiently for a reply from the one he had asked for help and couldn't help smiling when he saw Hedwig arrive through his open window. He had clearly told the owl not to come to him if there was a locating spell either on her or on the letter and he knew that she was smart enough to follow that rule. Thankfully, for him, it meant that Remus was an ally.

Smiling, he took off the letter and gave Hedwig a little treat for having done her job so well. She happily hooted before flying away, probably once again in the direction of the large forest. She loved it there, maybe even more than she did Hogwarts' Forbidden Forest. After all, here, she didn't have to worry about too many strange creatures.

_Dear Cub,_

_First, how could you just leave like this without giving me any warning! You can't imagine how worried I've been since we discovered your room at Privet Drive vacant! I was so sure that the death-eaters had somehow managed to get a hold of you._

_I can understand why you had to leave, I really do. I just wish it could have been otherwise but after reading your letter, the Order ganged up on Dumbledore and to avoid what you could call a mutiny, he had to tell us what he told you last year. Of course, you had to leave! You wouldn't have been given the training that you obviously need. But, apparently, according to the twins you did get some training._

_They told us they had seen you, of course. I'm was a bit saddened that you didn't come to see me while you were in England, but I know that you couldn't have gone to Grimmauld Place. There is a point I agree with the twins: I want to see who has stolen your heart and make sure he's good enough for you. And really, Harry, why didn't you tell me that you were bi. You knew that it wouldn't bother me!_

_On a more somber note, I'm worried about what you're doing with these horcruxes, but if you don't want me to tell the Order, I won't. My loyalties lie with you and only you. I will help you get inside Hogwarts and the Chamber of Secrets. I've been more than once inside the School since the beginning of the year; Dumbledore should think nothing of it._

_If I may give you a piece of advice: seek out the Grey Maiden, the Ghost of Ravenclaw, she will probably know more about where to find the diadem, especially if it's still inside the School. You will probably have to do it yourself, on the other hand, she will want to know who she's helping. You may want to have someone from Ravenclaw with you. I hope that you know someone you can trust enough to ask for help. _

_Let us meet at the entrance of the Honeyduck secret passage at the time of your choice. I promise you that no one else but me will be waiting. I hope you know that you still have friends here and that they are lots of people that would like to have some news from you._

_All my love,_

_Moony_

Harry didn't know if it was possible for him to feel any happier than he did at the present moment. Lupin did believe that what he had done was for the best and was with him a hundred percent. He knew that he may have been naïve to take his words for it but, deep inside, he knew that the werewolf wouldn't lie to him, not for Dumbledore, not if he knew that Harry was doing what was the best for himself because it was all that mattered for Remus.

He had just scribbled to little notes and was almost jumping up and down when Kitty entered the room, phasing through the door instead of simply opening it, wanting to drag the boy out of his hiding place. She was always there to make him spend more time with his friends and had tried to set him up with some girls from time to time. Of course, she had to stop that when she had learnt through Marie and Kurt that Harry had a mysterious 'girlfriend' back home. Harry couldn't say that he minded; it wasn't all that fun for him to turn down everyone that he young girl introduced him, though he had some fun watching Scott squirm when he heard Kitty tell Harry all the good qualities of some girl or other.

"Hey Harry! What has you so happy?" she asked, seeing his radiant smile.

"A letter," he answered, throwing an arm around her shoulder and she leant into him as if they had always known each others.

"From your girlfriend?" she asked, curious and wanting to know more about that mysterious person.

"Did I ever say that the person I was with was a girl?" he rhetorically asked before answering the question. "And no, it's coming from a dear friend of my parents. He's accepted to help me out."

Kitty, though, had barely heard the explanation he had given her, her jaw hanging on the floor.

"You're gay?" she asked like a fish. "And you never thought to tell me that when I was trying to set you up with girls?"

She looked almost affronted to think he would have done something like that, which was strange considering the fact she hadn't minded when he had not told her that he was seeing someone to begin with.

He made her puppy-eyes, wanting for her to let her pretended anger melt away.

"I'm bi actually, no gay. I did have a girlfriend for a while," he said, shuddering slightly when he thought back about his relation with Cho.

They made their way thought the halls in silence when Kitty's mind went back to what he had just said.

"Wait! You found someone to help you out? That means that you're going back to your school!" she exclaimed and Harry was surprised that no one actually ran to see what all the fuss was about.

"Yep, which is why I'm heading to see Scott, like I promised him. Wouldn't want him to be mad at me, would I?"

Harry shook her head to show that she approved of what Harry had said. Mister Summers was a nice teacher and he didn't lose his calm very often but, when he did, you didn't want to be in the way. She bid him good luck and then let him go to his friend.

After having gone to fetch Hedwig and give her the notes to take to England, Harry knocked on Scott's private room's door and waited to be invited before entering.

"You know you should stop knocking every time you come here," the mutant told him from his reading position on his bed.

Harry shrugged and dropped on the bed, belly down, at his lover's side.

"Watcha reading?" he asked.

Scott dropped his book on his night stand, turning to his side to be face to face with Harry, supporting himself on an elbow.

"Just an act for next term. So what's up?"

"Can't I just want to spend some time with you?" Harry asked with a pout, making Scott laugh.

"Sure you can, but that's usually more at nighttime or during the weeks. You usually take Saturday afternoon to have some time with your friend."

"Well, technically you're my friend so it's still work but, you're right. There is something. What do you say meeting my dad's best friend?" he asked innocently.

It took Scott a few seconds to realize what Harry implied and he nodded.

"You want to go to Hogwarts? So your dad's friend accepted to help. That's great!"

"Yep, that's great, isn't it? And he wants to meet you so, let's kill two birds with a stone!"

"Meet me?" Scott nearly squealed, which made Harry smile. "What did you tell him?"

"Me? Nothing. But I may have mentioned to the twins that it was with someone and they told Remus so, now, he wants to meet you. But don't worry, he's going love you, I know it. And, technically, I already met your whole family so it's time to turn the tide."

"My whole family, as you say, doesn't know that we're together," he grimaced.

It had been years since he had to formally meet a lover's family and it wasn't exactly something he was looking forwards to doing again. It hadn't gone all that well with Jean's parents. Thankfully enough, Harry's family wasn't exactly what you could call normal so it would probably be better but he still wasn't all that keen on the idea.

"Well, you have a few hours to get used to the idea. I want to go there early morning so that no one would be in the halls since the prefects usually only do their patrols at night and not just before the student's rising. Plus, it would be easier for Remus to pretend to be there for business if it's not the middle of the night."

Scott nodded. It was actually very sensible but he just wasn't used to not being the one in charge of the operations. He knew that he was too ignorant of the Wizarding world and what needed to be done to be able to take charge this time around so he was relying totally on Harry. He had to admit, it wasn't all that bad. It was nice not to have everyone rely on him to have all the answers for once.

"Then I guess I will meet your uncle soon," Scott stated, knowing perfectly that he was considered as such by the young wizard, no matter the lack of blood relation between them

"Him and a friend of mine; I already send her a note. I would rather have avoided any contact the student body but she really needs to be there. I need a Ravenclaw to make the Grey Lady more willing to talk to me."

"Back up, back up!" Scott halted. "Who is the Grey Lady? And why do you have to talk to her?"

"Oh…. She's Ravenclaw's ghost. Remus thinks that she may know where the diadem is."

Scott closed his eyes and breathed heavily, trying to make sense of what they actually had to do at Hogwarts.

"We're going to talk to a _ghost_?"

"I'm sure she's very nice. I mean, I've never really talked to her before but I've never heard anyone complaining either so she must be okay. It could be worse, really. I mean, there are some ghosts that aren't that recommendable," Harry stated as if it was clearly obvious.

Scott rolled his eyes and Harry smiled, amused at his lover's reaction to his world. He may have talked about it before but, now, it was all going to be real and it wasn't the same as theory at all. But he had a feeling it would be okay. It was just too bad that Scott's first experience with the magical world had to be searching illegally the castle, under the nose of a manipulative Headmaster, to destroy the key to Voldemort's immortality.

"But let's worry about that later," he finished with a smirk before kissing Scott, demanding entrance with his tongue, which the mutant granted before losing himself into the whirlpool of sensations that Harry gave rise to into him.

A few hours and a talk with the rest of the X-Men, who told them they would be in stand-by should any need arise, later and Scott and Harry were inside the cavern, which was a very good apparition's spot as had decided the young wizard.

"Where are we?" Scott asked as they began to walk, the mutant following the wizard.

"We're in a spot a bit remote from Hogsmeade. This was where Sirius used to hide when he was on the run. Remus is waiting for us at the sweets shop," he explained quickly as they made their way through the deserted streets.

Of course, no one was fool enough to be up at four in the morning, really. You would have to be crazy, especially in a little town were all the shops were still closed and there was nothing else to do. That last observation made Harry very much aware of the problem of how to get to the passage.

As soon as they approached the building, Harry saw a distinct shape, which he recognized as being Professor Lupin, waiting for them and his face broke into a smile as he almost ran to him, Scott on his heels.

Thanks to his heightened senses, Remus heard Harry coming and met him halfway there, engulfing him into a powerful hug.

"Merlin, Cub, I'm happy to see you again," he whispered in his ear.

"Me too Moony," Harry answered before releasing the man. "Moony, this is Scott Summers, Scott this is Remus Lupin."

"Please to meet you, Sir," Scott greeted formally, taking the offered hand and shaking it.

"No need to be so formal. You can call me Remus or Moony, like Harry do."

"Then call me Scott."

Remus nodded, appreciating the gesture, and looked between the two younger men. Like Logan, his nose was more sensitive than a normal human being, especially so close to the full moon, and he had no problem smelling their mixed scents on each others. He was a bit surprised that Harry would go for someone older than him – well, Cho had been older but not by much – but, at the same time, considering what he had lived through up to now, it wasn't all that strange. After all, his experiences did give him more maturity than most people his age had.

"So you're the one Harry ran to when he had to get away from the Wizarding world?" Remus still asked as a confirmation, something in his voice telling both Scott and Harry that he already knew what was going on.

"Err… yes. We were friends a very long time ago," Scott said. "Before he was aware of the existence of magic. It was very nice to see him again in my life."

Remus smiled at the sincerity behind his words and nodded.

"It's nice to see that you were able to stay friends even after all these years. Or, in this case, more than friends."

Harry laughed.

"You know, it's kind of gross that you're able to smell it on us," Harry stated conversationally.

"Then, maybe, you shouldn't have asked to meet me so close to the full moon, Cub," Remus countered.

Harry snorted while Scott frowned, a bit at a loss about what influence could the moon have on the man.

"The full moon?" he inquired and Remus raised an eyebrow at Harry, who shrugged sheepishly, before turning to Scott.

"I suppose that Harry forgot to tell you I was a werewolf," he said simply, not too sure whether he should be expecting scorn, fear, or anything else.

"Oh," he managed to say, stunned.

"Okay, we should get inside. We will take the passage from the Hog's Head since we can't go into Honeyduck," Remus said, taking charge.

"There is a passage there? How come I didn't know that?" Harry asked, surprised.

"Now, Harry, don't tell me you actually thought that you knew every single secret passages inside the castle? I'm fairly sure that not even Dumbledore does."

"There are really that many passages?" Scott wondered, finding it strange for a school.

Remus chuckled. He knew that for people who weren't used to it, Hogwarts was almost too much. Even students from other magical schools had a hard time finding their way inside. He remembered that Fleur had complained about it at one of the reunion, even though, in the end, she had loved it.

"Yes, but I'm not sure that anyone save maybe from the Founders has been able to find them all. It's a good thing for us. Now, Harry, who are we meeting and where?"

"Luna," he answered, remembering having sent the letter to the blonde girl in order to get her help with the Ravenclaw's ghost.

He knew that she would be less likely to go babbling t anyone and it wasn't as if he really knew a lot of people in that House. There was, of course, both Marietta and Cho but he already knew that Marietta couldn't be trusted and having Cho and Scott with him at the same time sure as hell wouldn't have been very comfortable. Plus, he had to admit, he rather appreciated the blonde witch and wouldn't mind seeing one of his friends again. It wasn't because he had new ones that he didn't miss the one he had in Hogwarts.

"I told her to meet me in front of the Room of Requirement, so she could hide quickly is someone happened to pass by," he explained.

Remus chuckled and told him that the Hog Head's passage leaded right there while Scott asked what it was.

"It's a room that appear whenever you need it," Remus started to explain. "And it always contains exactly what you need."

"The house-elves call it the 'come and go' room, if it helps any," Harry shrugged.

Scott made a face.

"Seeing that I've no idea what a house-elf is, I've got to say, no, not really."

Harry laughed out loud while Remus dunked his head to hide his grin. It was always fun to see people that didn't know about magic beforehand being totally clueless about half of what they were talking about and, usually, the explanations always bought more questions.

"Remind me to introduce you to Dobby one of these days. Rogue and Kurt already had the honor, seeing that he's the one that brought me the horcrux."

That brought a shudder through both men.

"There is something I've got to tell you about the horcruxes, Harry, but I couldn't risk it in a letter. I think that the Headmaster had one and destroyed it," Remus said, hesitantly as if he wasn't totally sure. "He wasn't careful enough, though, and it did something to his hand, something pretty bad that none of us know how to heal. When he was asked by the Order, he told us he found a ring that he put on without realizing it was full of dark magic."

Harry took the little time they were inside the tavern to reflect on it, refusing to speak about anything that concerned the horcruxes until they were inside the passage. He didn't know the bartender and he preferred not to alert anyone from the other side that he was on a question to find the scattered remains of Voldemort's soul. It was already difficult enough to deal with without people trying to stop him.

They were fairly quickly engulfed into a long and dark tunnel, Remus being the leader. Once they were far enough from any indiscreet ears, Harry began to talk once again.

"Why would he put it on? There is no way he wouldn't have noticed it was a horcrux."

"I think it must have been a special ring. A ring that meant something to Albus and made him careless with it; he was way too eager to put it on to think about any spell that could be on it.+

There was a silence that Scott was the first to break.

"So, if this ring was a horcrux, it means that you actually know what all of them are, right?"

Harry nodded at that.

"Yeah… Just have to find where they are. Though, logically, Nagini should be wherever Voldemort is."

They went on walking for a while inside the dark tunnel before they finally seemed to arrive to what looked like a room. In was strangely void, barely decorated.

"No one is actually using the room at the moment and since we're just passing through, I suppose it didn't have to take any particular form," Remus surmised.

Both Harry and Scott nodded at the explanation. Harry had already been there before so it made sense to him and Scott couldn't help thinking it was kind of like the Danger Room, only with a wider range of action and just ordered by thoughts instead of electronics.

There were on the verge of getting out when Harry stopped them.

"What is it, Harry?" Scott asked, worried.

He really hoped they weren't going to get into troubles. Firstly was he fairly sure that he wasn't supposed to be inside the castle and that if anyone found him there, he would probably have some legal problems to solve. But that wasn't what worried him the most. No, what he was really afraid of was that Harry would be unable to leave should his Headmaster realize his presence inside the place. He didn't think he could bear the thought of being unable to see Harry for years once again.

Harry must have somehow guessed his train of thoughts because he reached out to squeeze his arm, signaling that everything was fine.

"I just want to use the one tool that will be able to let us see where everyone in the castle is," he said with a smirk, especially when he saw how Remus reacted.

"You took the map with you!" he exclaimed.

Harry rolled his eyes as he took the reduced map from one of his pockets and used magic to get it back to the size it was originally.

"Duh!" he deadpanned, using one of the Xavier's students' favorite expressions. "Of course I took it. I solemnly swear I'm up to no good," he said, pointing his wand.

Under Scott's bewildered eyes and Remus unconcealed smile, words began to form on the parchment, with the usual salutation and introduction to the Marauders' map. Once that was done it was replaced by a map of the castle and lots of little dots, accompanied by names.

"This has got to be useful," Scott commented.

Harry nodded.

"You can't imagine how many detention I must have avoided because of it!"

"You're not the only one," Remus added, remembering his own school-days. "But look, Luna's already here. We should hurry."

Both the others agreed and made their way through the door, Scott still looking in amazed wonder at the map. He was shook out of his daze by a feminine voice greeting Harry.

"Hello Harold," she said and he looked to see a dirty blonde girl, about the same age as Harry, and wearing what looked like vegetables as earrings. "Hello Professor Lupin and hello Harold's friend."

"Hi Luna," Harry answered. "This is Scott. Scott, this is Luna. She's a very good friend of mine."

"You wanted to find the Grey Lady, Harold?" Luna asked. "We should go and ask her your question rapidly. The Ravenclaws tend to get up very early in the morning and the Grey Lady usually stays fairly close to the common room's entrance."

Luna was speaking in a fairly distant voice, as always, but Harry knew that she wasn't saying anything that wasn't true. He had already guessed that t was mostly the way she wanted people to see her and that she was very intelligent; she just loved to add eccentricities into the mix, to keep people on their toes.

"You're right. Okay, so there is no need for all of us to do that. Remus, why don't you and Scott go to Myrtle's bathroom and wait for me there? I will go with Luna to ask the Grey Lady where the diadem is and then I'll get Luna back to her common room and meet you at the Chamber's entrance.

Scott was clearly about to protest but Remus prevented him by agreeing to what Harry had just said.

"Don't get caught, Harry," the mutant still said in a worried voice that had Harry smiling.

And, because Remus already knew ant Luna wouldn't care, he kissed Scott chastely on the lips.

"Don't worry. I know what I'm doing."

And with those last words, he was gone, Luna in tow. They walked very quickly, talking in soft whisper about what had happened during the past year; mostly Luna talked and Harry listened, answering her questions when she asked but otherwise not volunteering too much information. He didn't want Dumbledore to be able to pick her brain and see where he had been staying. Luna seemed to understand that better than Ron and Hermione ever would have and she didn't push him to tell him exactly where he was staying in the States.

Soon enough, they met Sir Nicholas who, while very surprise to see Harry Potter inside Hogwarts, was kind enough to promise not to say anything about his presence there. Of course, it helped that he really liked Harry, especially since the kid had agreed, in his second year, to come to his death day party. He may have been a little bit vexed when Harry asked about the Grey Lady, saying that he absolutely needed to talk to her, but he still led the two teenagers to her.

The confrontation went more easily than Harry had thought it would. If the ghost had been somewhat reluctant to talk about what happened to her mother's diadem, she had changed her mind as soon as Harry had told her that it was the key to defeat Voldemort.

He first had learnt that she had stolen the diadem, waiting to keep it for herself, and had hidden it out of Hogwarts. She had been unable to return to it for she had been killed – by the bloody baron before he committed suicide, no less! – but she was able to tell him that she had hidden it somewhere in Albany.

As Luna commented about having to go all the way there, Harry shook his head, remembering some of the stories he knew about Voldemort and, having a hunch, asked the Grey Lady if she had told someone else that particular story before, even though he knew the answer to that question. Yes, she had told Tom Marvolo Riddle about it and he had been able to acquire it when he went there after his graduation.

Harry deducted that it was still in Hogwarts. Riddle had probably hidden it on his way to Dumbledore's office, the day he had asked to become the new Defense teacher. He knew that much because the American version of _Hogwarts, a History_ actually said that it was the day he had been rejected that the post had been cursed. Of course, the book didn't mention that Riddle was Voldemort, but that was probably because the editor didn't know about that. It wasn't, after all, common knowledge.

Now the one question was, where had the diadem been hidden? He hoped he didn't have to go too close to the Headmaster office but, as he was ready to make his way to Remus and ask for his input, Luna was the one that somehow saved the day.

"Neville and I have followed Draco around this year, Harold. Neville wanted to be able to answer any question you may have at your return. He thought that his behavior was erratic. We found out there was a cabinet, not very far from here. It is on the way to the Headmaster office and it is a room where you can hide things. Maybe you wish for me to lead you?"

"That, Luna, would be wonderful! Thank you and also thank Neville for me. You have both been great!"

The young witch was very pleased with the compliment and took it with a smile before leading Harry to the room of hidden things. They entered but Harry soon lost his smile when he saw that the _accio_ charm didn't work and that there was a mountain of things filling up the room.

"Great, and I have no bloody idea how this diadem looks like!" Harry sighed.

"Do not worry Harold; the statue of Ravenclaw inside the common room wears the diadem. I'm sure I can recognize it."

And she did. After a good half an hour of searching, the blonde girl presented the object to Harry and the wizard thanked his friend profusely, making sure she understood how much her help had been not only appreciated but also needed. He then leaded her back to the entrance of her common room with a promise to come back soon before escaping, eyes riveted on the Marauder's map, and very careful with the diadem, almost running to the location of the entrance of the Chamber of Secrets.

When he arrived there, he was almost able to feel the relief that flooded through Scott and, to a lesser extent, Remus. The werewolf had been worried about Harry getting caught, of course, but he would have at least be able to see the one he considered as his nephew and had knew that Dumbledore would actually hurt Harry. Still, he preferred the young wizard to be free and happy.

"You took your sweet time, Harry," Scott remarked.

Harry snorted.

"Maybe but look what I've got!" he said, presenting both man with the diadem.

Remus' jaw dropped.

"You found it inside Hogwarts!"

"Yeah… Now we just need the basilisk fang. Alright, Remus, you need to stay here with the map so you can take away the attention of anyone who comes this way. Scott, you're coming with me."

Remus nodded and Scott couldn't help shaking his head.

"You know, I'm not used to taking orders. I usually give them."

"Oh, come on, don't you love it when I take charge?" Harry whispered in his ear and Scott actually blushed at the entendre.

"Okay, Harry, I've got nothing against the two of you being together but, please, spare me the details," Remus complained and Harry reddened too when he realized that the werewolf had been able to hear.

Without any words, he hissed at the lavabo, thanking whoever it was that made it so that Myrtle wasn't there at the moment, and jumped inside. He knew that Scott was following him and quickly got up at the end of the slide.

"Damn, that's a hell of a fall," the mutant stated when he arrived.

He then looked around him and could see why Harry didn't seem so keen on coming down there once again. It was morbid and, he had to admit, not very reassuring. He tried to imagine a twelve-year old Harry having to walk through these halls to save a friend and shuddered.

He felt Harry's hand grip his own and, instinctually, intertwined their fingers together. It was the first time they walked hand in hand, not really being able to act like lovers a lot out of their rooms at Xavier's, but it felt oddly natural and very pleasant. He had missed this and he liked being able to do that with Harry.

The young wizard, not wanting to spend more time than necessary inside Slytherin's lair, was hurrying through the corridors leading to the Chamber and, in the end, they found themselves in front of the basilisk that Harry had slain back in his second year.

"God, Harry. You had to fight this," Scott murmured and Harry turned to face him.

Scott's face was as pale as death as he realized how much danger Harry had been in. he felt a stab of guilt at not being able to be there for the young man to help him with all he had to go through but he knew that it wasn't his fault. He would just have to make sure that Harry wouldn't have to put himself in too much danger from then on and, once Voldemort was vanquished, he would be able to live what passed for normally in their world.

"I didn't remember it being so big. I don't know, I guess that somehow I thought my memories had been altered with time, you know?"

He wasn't sure how he had been able to take on that thing when he had been twelve but now wasn't the time to dwell on it. He rapidly took what he needed, which were the two fangs – he didn't know how much venom each of them contained and how much was needed to destroy the horcruxes – and then got up once again.

One hour later, they were out of the school and, giving a few letters for Lupin to deliver to his friends, Harry took Scott with him and once again apparated across the ocean. They would have a lot to tell the others at Xavier.

* * *

Chapter 10


	12. Chapter 11

**Title**: Harry Potter and the Horcruxes' Quest

**Genre**: slight AU, crossover (HP/X-men), slash

**Characters**: Harry/Scott, cast

**Disclaimer**: Characters are not mine; they belong to their respective creators

**Summary**: After OotP, Harry decides to run away in order to train to be ready to face Voldemort. He goes to find the one person he trusted as a child: Scott Summer. Sparks fly. Spoilers for HBP and DH.

**Note**: This chapter has not been beta-readed and English is not my first language. I hope it's still readable.

**_Thanks to all of those who reviewed!_**

_

* * *

_

Chapter 11

When they came back from their little trip to England, the first thing that they did was to destroy both horcruxes that were now in the mansion. Thankfully enough, Harry's plan to use the fangs did actually work and it didn't take all that long. However, he would be surprised to learn that some of the people that were in the room at the moment of their destruction – because all of them wanted to see if it worked – had some nightmare of the remain of Voldemort's soul disappearing in a dark cloud of smoke and with a horrid scream that made your blood run cold.

Once that was done, though, all the kids wanted to know how Hogwarts was and, since they had already picked Harry's brain about it when he had arrived – and that the definition of what the young wizards found normal and not worth mentioning wasn't exactly the same as their – they decided to badger Scott for a while.

While it made Harry laugh greatly, he could sympathize with the fact that his lover wasn't totally at ease with being asked a hundred questions a minute and decided to help out by using his pensive; no need to say that there wasn't a single person in the mansion that skipped the trip. It made Harry very glad not to have forgotten to keep the memories of whatever could have made his relationship with Scott known in his head.

However, he still had a horcrux whose location he had no idea of and none of the books that talked about Hufflepuff's Cup was very helpful since they all lost his track a few centuries back. He didn't know how he was going to find out and it was very worrisome because for, as long as he had no idea on how to find it, he wouldn't be able to put an end at the war.

On the other hand, what he was feeling was so confused that he wasn't sure on how to act anymore. Yes, he wanted to put an end at Voldemort's reign of terror, yes he was tired of having to worry about him, but he had had so little time with Scott that it was just so unfair to have to die now. He wanted to live, wanted to have some total happiness, but he knew that he would never have and that these few months he had been in New York were the closest he would ever get.

He prevented himself from sighing out loud with a lot of difficulty, but he knew that he would only worry Scott, whose arms he was lying in, if he did; there was no way he would be able to explain him his conflicting though about what was going on and he really didn't want his lover to discover the truth. Not yet, not when they still had time left for them to be happy together.

"What are you thinking about, Harry?" Scott asked, drawing invisible patterns on his arm with his fingertips.

Harry contorted his neck to look at the man and saw him watching him with rapt attention; he offered him a tired smile before resting his head on the Scott's chest once again.

"Just about the Cup," he said, settling for a partial truth. "Racking my brain trying to find a way to find it."

"I wish I could help you," the mutant murmured.

"Oh, well, if you can't help me finding this bloody Cup," Harry said, moving to straddle his lover who was still lying on his back. "Maybe you can help me forget about it completely."

Scott smirked and reversed their position in one swift move.

"That much, I can do," he assured, bending down for a kiss that had Harry moaning before long.

They didn't have time to get very far before an owl that Harry didn't recognized flew in, making a bit of a racket. Harry groaned but still went to take the letter from her, the owl not waiting before leaving. He made a face but just put down the envelope on Scott's desk, thinking he would read it later.

"You're not reading it?" Scott asked as Harry came back on the bed without as much as a spare look for the letter.

"Nope. It will still be here later on. For now, I've way better things to do," he grinned and their lips met once again, only to be separated for the second time when Scott heard a voice in his head.

"_I am sorry to interrupt your time with Harry, Scott, but I need the X-Men for a mission."_

The amusement in the Professor's voice left no doubt to Scott that he knew exactly what it was that he was interrupting. Of course, that also meant that he wouldn't call him if it wasn't important. The mutant groaned before sighing in resignation.

"_We'll be there immediately,"_ he answered, not even asking if Harry was coming with them or not; the answer was more than obvious.

"Problems?" Harry asked, guessing that Scott was communicating telepathically with Xavier as soon as he broke their kiss.

Scott nodded, detangling himself from Harry, and searched through his wardrobe,

"We need to suit up. The X-Men are needed."

Harry nodded and put on the discarded shirt that had been sent on the floor earlier on. He then skipped out of Scott's room to get into his. He after all needed to put on the X-Men uniform and he hardly kept it inside Scott's wardrobe.

He was the last one to arrive at the reunion because of that but Xavier didn't make any comment and the others only sent him strange looks, stunned that he took so long. Logan was not bothering to hide the smirk around his cigar, knowing full well the exact reason behind Harry's tardiness because of the scents his nose was catching and Harry simply refused to blush under his gaze. He still had to look anywhere but in his direction for that to happen.

The Professor rapidly explained to them that he had been given an anonymous tip, saying that there was something that needed the X-Men's attention very urgently. There was apparently a mutant held prisoner inside of a secluded place that needed rescuing.

Soon enough though, once there were there and had begun the search, it began very clear to them that whoever had sent the tip had been lying a trap and they found themselves fighting against Magneto's forces and, that time around, it was for real.

Harry, for as long as he could, did all his might not to reveal his other powers. If he wanted them to keep on believing he was a mutant and nothing else, he had no choice and he didn't dare imagine the consequences if the information that he was a wizard fell into Magneto's hand.

Soon, though, the fight began to take a more dangerous turn and, when Harry looked all around, trying to se Scott while still keeping an eye for anyone in need of help, he wasn't able to locate him and concentrated his mind on finding him. He had never been so glad to know the basics of legilimency. He may have had a very feeble level, it was far from abysmal and enough to be able to find his lover in such a close range. After all, he had a very strong bond with him.

Looking one last time to see if no one needed his help, he ran into the direction he knew Scott was and stopped dead in his track when he arrived at the little more secluded area. Scott was on the ground and, if Harry wasn't mistaking, unconscious. There was some blood around him but no enough for it to be life-threatening, thankfully.

Of course, it may change if the mutant who was standing directly in front of him decided to use his large claws to finish the job. Since the man had already one hand in the air, Harry reacted instinctively, in a fraction of second, not even thinking about what he was doing but only knowing that there was no way he could let Scott die. He drew his wand.

"Avada Kedavra!"

The words left his month with far more ease that should have been possible and the green beam of light that still sometimes haunted his dreams headed right towards the chest of the standing mutant. He didn't have time to totally turn his head, to comprehend the meaning of the words, to see his attacker. The green light collided forcefully with him and he was sent back a few meters before his body fell to the ground, lifeless.

"Harry, what was that spell?"

In his adrenaline rush, Harry hadn't even heard Rogue coming from behind him and the young woman had arrived just in time to see Harry cruse the mutant, as well as the result obtained. Of course, she had no idea of what that particular spell was.

Harry waited a few seconds, his heartbeat pounding into his ear, but the other didn't come back on his feet and he finally took conscience of what he had just done. He had taken a life, in cold blood. He hadn't even hesitated, hadn't contemplated another option. For a second, bile rose in his throat but he swallowed it forcefully.

"The Killing Curse," he answered faintly before running to his lover, Rogue in tow.

He briefly checked him out and was most relieved to see that he had no grievous injuries. The only one that he could see was a head wound from which a tiny filet of blood was seeping. He immediately used a spell to stop the bleeding and cicatrized the wound. However, there wasn't a thing he could do for the lack of consciousness.

He saw Rogue take his pulse and smile to him in a reassuring fashion.

"He's going to be fine, sugar," she said and then watched him look at the mutant – the man – he had killed. "You didn't have a choice, Harry. He would have killed Scott. You did what you had to."

The voice was soft and, deep down, Harry knew that she was right. He had done what he had to and he wasn't going to regret it, not if it meant that Scott was still alive. He wasn't sure how the others would take it, though, and he just hoped they would let him a chance to explain before condemning him, even if he had no idea who he would do that.

Both teenagers were startled and looked up when they heard footsteps and Logan appeared in their vision range. He took at look at the scene and did what neither Harry nor Rogue had thought to do: he went to verify if the mutant was really dead. He let a satisfied smile grace his lips and looked at the two youngsters.

"I wish I had been the one to do it, but at least he got what he deserved," he stated before approaching them.

Without a word, he scooped Scott in his arms, carrying him back to the jet, followed by the two teenagers. When all of them were inside the plane, most supporting wounds of various degrees, Storm took the command since Scott wasn't in any state to do so.

"What happened?" Bobby asked, seeing that both Rogue and Harry weren't in the best state of mind.

It was, however, Logan that answered the question.

"Sabertooth is dead," he simply said.

"Logan!" Storm exclaimed. "We don't kill people!"

"It wasn't him," Harry cut off, not wanting Logan to take the blame for something he had done. "I killed him."

A silence met his revelation and Rogue flew to his rescue.

"It was Scott or him," she said. "What would you have done?"

None of them could deny that the choice was the easiest they had ever faced and, somehow, it reassured Harry to see that they wouldn't turn on him for having killed one of their enemies. He knew that the real shock of what he had done would settle in, maybe not that day, maybe not the day after but soon, and he would need someone who would understand.

The journey to return at the mansion was made in silence and Harry couldn't tear his eyes apart from Scott. He was watching the rise and fall of his chest and, even though he did his best not to reveal 

too much to the others, it was obvious to everyone that he was worried. Thankfully, he was aware that his lover wasn't at risk and it was just a question of when he would wake up.

Once they arrived and settled Scott in the hospital wing, Harry was told in not so uncertain terms not to come back before a few hours at least because they was no way that the mutant would wake up in that lapse of time and Hank didn't want Harry to mope around all day long.

Harry, while not exactly liking it, did see the point and, for once, obeyed. He promised that he would be back before the end of the day, though, and the doctor didn't disbelieve him. He participated to the debriefing of the mission and, while the Professor wasn't all too happy about the turn of events, he personally thanked Harry for saving the life of the one he considered his son.

Harry went back to Scott's room immediately afterwards. He had just remembered the letter and needed to see what was written. He had almost forgotten all about it in the agitation but, thankfully, a question from Ororo about Hedwig had refreshed his memories.

Once he had the paper in hands, his eyes skimmed through it and he smiled for the first time since his return at the mansion.

_Dear Cub,_

_I do hope that everything is well on your end of things and that the basilisk's fang was able to accomplish its mission. I'm writing to you in regard of the horcrux. I knew I shouldn't talk about it in this letter but you have to know that there is a very good possibility that I know where one of the horcrux not yet found is._

_I was told by a source that will stay unnamed at the moment that there is an object that Voldemort had given Bella a while ago, ordering her to put it in her Gringott's vault. It was a Cup, I'm sure you understand what I mean by that._

_Please, whatever you do, do be careful and come back soon. You know I'm very impatient to meeting all your new friends. Send my regard to Scott._

_Love,_

_Moony_

Harry put down the letter, feeling slightly better. At least, he would have something to do while waiting for Scott to wake up. Of course, the other man would probably kill Harry as soon as he was told that he had been back to the Wizarding world all alone. That, however, could easily be remedied to. Now, how could he take with him? He supposed that he would have to settle for an adult.

He then wandered off in the mansion, looking for Ororo. Out of all the teachers, she was the one he had spent the less time with and this was the perfect occasion to change that; well, maybe perfect wasn't the most suitable word because waiting to do something like that had to be pretty stupid but, at least, it was a way.

The weather-witch seemed to agree with him because a few hours later found them at the Leaky Cauldron. He had preferred apparating in the middle of a muggle street – a muggle deserted street, of course – and make the rest of the way on foot. Thankfully, Tom the barkeeper seemed alright with 

keeping Harry's presence there a secret from Dumbledore and just wished them a good day on the Alley.

To say that Ororo was awed was an understatement. Yes, Harry's magic, even though very diversified, still could be seen as powers not unlike those of a mutant, but Diagon Alley was simply a step into a whole new world. It was beautiful and magical, all around her, and she was very glad when Harry said that they could take some time to visit. She was delighted and even bought a few things, promising Harry to give him the money back. Harry just shrugged, saying that he had more than enough money and that there was really no reason for her to pay him back; since Christmas had already gone by, she could take it as a belated birthday present.

Finally, Harry entered the bank and went straight looking for Griphook. He didn't want to go to any other because he knew that this particular goblin would likely be more helpful than the others. After all, he had been delighted when he had seen that, not only did Harry remember him after all these years, but also treated him as an equal. For that, Harry knew that he would always be willing to at least hear him out.

"What can I do for your friend and you, Mister Potter?" Griphook asked when they stepped in an office that had to be used for personal conversation between an owner and his Vault manager.

Harry knew that he had to choose his words very carefully and that, no matter how much Griphook would help him, he would never let him get a free pass for a vault that wasn't his.

"I'm sure that you already know what a horcrux is?" Harry asked, waiting for the Goblin's nod. "Voldemort made several and I have a good reason to think that one of them is inside Gringott."

"I can understand your point of view, Mister Potter, but I cannot possibly allow you to get inside any vault that isn't rightfully yours and I fairly doubt that Voldemort have hidden a part of his very soul inside your vault."

Harry nodded, as he had been expecting this.

"Yes, I know and I am not asking you to do anything of the sort. But, as an employee of this bank, you can get inside that vault; now, as I know that you would never steal, I won't asking you to do that. The only thing that I'm asking is if you would be willing to destroy it. The object itself will still be here, the soul won't."

Griphook seemed to think for a while before nodding in acceptance. He wasn't all that keen on introducing himself inside a vault without permission from the owner but he knew that Voldemort would never see the goblins as his equal and, as much as his race didn't want anything to do with wizard wars, he knew that they would suffer the consequences, should Voldemort take the power.

"In which vault is that object stored?" he asked.

"Bellatrix Black and it's Hufflepuff's Cup," Harry added, knowing that Griphook would need to know what it was looking like. "I've take the liberty to bring you the mean to destroy it as I'm not sure than anything else exists do destroy them."

He showed the basilisk fang to the goblin and the latter smiled.

"Other ways exist, yes, but magic would have to be used and would be traceable up to me. For that, I will gladly use your own weapon to do the job. Do not worry now, Mister Potter. Go back to your hiding place. I shall send you a courier to tell you whether the task has been accomplished or not. You should not remain for too long in Diagon Alley."

Harry nodded his thanks, silently congratulating himself on having taken the two fangs. He hadn't thought about letting one of them in the hands of the goblin but he could see the point of the deceit. After all, wouldn't it be strange for Griphook to get inside Bellatrix's vault when Harry was still there for him to attend to?

"Thank you Griphook. It has been a pleasure to see you again. May I please tell you to keep this, should need arise for it?"

Harry handed him a letter and, by the look of it and Harry's emotions when he gave it, Griphook didn't need to look inside to know what it was. It was a sad world when someone as young as Harry was giving his testament to the bank.

Griphook inclined his head and said goodbye to both people without further comment, even when he saw Ororo's brows furrow as they made their way outside.

"What was inside that letter, Harry?" she asked.

Harry knew that it must have been pretty obvious that something wasn't right with what he had just done. Usually, the mutant didn't ask him anything too personal if he didn't offer the information himself. She always let him come forth because she knew that he wouldn't appreciate being pushed to talk. That was one of the reason he liked her so much.

"Don't worry about it; I'm just assuring my back."

He would have said more, trying to reassure her that it wasn't anything to be worried about, but he was interrupted by a voice that he knew too well. A voice he would have preferred not to hear again for quite some time.

"Harry, I've been hoping to see you for a while my boy."

Harry's whole body stiffened and both Ororo and he turned around to see who had talked. He could feel the weather-with prepare herself to use her power should need arise. Harry knew that he was probably going to avoid any confrontation between the two of them; he really didn't want to reveal the existence of mutants to the Wizarding world.

"Professor Dumbledore," Harry greeted with respect. "I'm sorry but I can't stay here. People are waiting for us."

"Nonsense, my boy. You need to come back to Hogwarts for your own security."

Harry laughed.

"My own security?" he repeated incredulous. "Neither you nor Voldemort has been able to find me, yet. I think I'm perfectly safe where I am. Safer than in Hogwarts at any rate; after all, it's in that school that I nearly died just about every year."

Of course, Harry let out the event with Magneto out of the conversation; it wasn't as if Dumbledore needed to know that. He was aware, of course, that Dumbledore wouldn't hesitate to use strength to bring him back and that the little chit-chat was only a try to find out more about where he was staying. He felt probing on his mental-shield and prevent Dumbledore's access to his mind.

"Strange how I've had no problem to learn occlumency once I was able to get my hand on some proper theory and wasn't subjected to a mind-raping bastard."

He knew that he was pushing some but he needed to tell Dumbledore that was aware that he would have been able to learn better if it hadn't been for Snape.

"Now, I'm sorry Professor, but I really can't stay."

"Harry, I must insist you have to come back. Voldemort-"

"- will soon be dead. After all, I destroyed almost all horcruxes."

He had the satisfaction to see Dumbledore falter at that. He apparently had no idea that Harry knew about those and he wasn't sure about how many there were. On the other hand, Harry seemed to know more than him and that just wasn't good.

"See you soon, Dumbledore," he mockingly said with a wave of the hand before apparating both he and Ororo out of the Alley, leaving Dumbledore dumbfounded; he hadn't noticed that the young woman with Harry was a witch.


	13. Chapter 12

**Title**: Harry Potter and the Horcruxes' Quest

**Genre**: slight AU, crossover (HP/X-men), slash

**Characters**: Harry/Scott, cast

**Disclaimer**: Characters are not mine; they belong to their respective creators

**Summary**: After OotP, Harry decides to run away in order to train to be ready to face Voldemort. He goes to find the one person he trusted as a child: Scott Summer. Sparks fly. Spoilers for HBP and DH.

**Note**: This chapter has not been beta-readed and English is not my first language. I hope it's still readable.

**_Thanks to all of those who reviewed!_**

_

* * *

_

Chapter 12

Of course, by the time they were back from Diagon Alley, Harry determined that he had waited long enough out of the infirmary and, after a quick change of clothes, he directly went there, where Hank assured him that there was nothing wrong with Scott and that he would probably wake up soon. Harry was, of course, more than welcome to stay if he wanted to.

Harry took a chair and sat down beside the bed. It was strange, being in this position. Usually, he was the one playing Sleeping Beauty while his friends patiently stood at his side, waiting for him to wake up. For this, he began to have a newfound respect for them; it wasn't fun at all to be on that side of things.

After a few hours, he was more than willing to do anything it would take to be distracted and that was the reason he was awfully welcome to see Logan enter the place. He still was a bit surprised, though, with Logan hating being in a hospital wing ever more than Harry did; and knowing Harry's love for the place, it was saying something.

"Heard ye were back, kid," he said gruffly. "Things went okay in that world of yers?"

He was leaning against a wall and, for once, without his usual cigar in his mouth. That could have been because the last he had dared to bring that thing with him, Hank had had some very inventive threat for him, should he once again decided to show up with that damn cancer-inducing thing of his and, yes, these were his own words. Harry had had a good laugh when Logan had done nothing save put off the cigar and growl something about doctors and their abusing their powers.

"Sure. The horcrux is probably destroyed by know; I just have to wait for Griphook to send an owl in confirmation. I've had some words with my Headmaster, though. I don't think he's very pleased with me," Harry added with a sly grin.

"Ye think? It's not as if ye've been messing up big time with his plan for ye," the man said ironically.

He finally unglued himself from the wall and took a few steps to stand directly beside Harry.

"How many of these horcruxes left now?" he asked.

"Two," Harry said in a calm voice. "Nagini and me."

He wasn't looking at Logan anymore but at Scott, who was still not awake. Logan followed his gaze and observed Summers too.

"Ye know that yer death will be the last straw for him," Logan said quietly, for once.

"There is no other choice, Logan," Harry said, turning to look at him. "Voldemort can't be allowed to live and there is no other way. Trust me, if there was one, I wouldn't hesitate."

"I know kid," the man answered. "Ye proved that ye were ready to do whatever it takes to protect the ones ye love. If ye need to talk about it, ye know I'll be there. Not anyone understands what it does to kill."

Harry smiled at the offer, knowing how much Logan hated all that touchy-feely kind of stuff and, yet, was offering him a shoulder to cry on. However, he just shrugged.

"Techically, I did kill before even if it wasn't intentional. I wasn't the only one responsible, though," he said, remembering Quirell and how he had killed him with his bare-hand by forcing Voldemort out, turning his body to ashes. "I would have said that it was proof that I could kill intentionally and, therefore, taking Voldemort out but it seems I won't be the one to do so in the end so I guess it just doesn't matter."

Logan nodded silently and stayed for a little while, looking intently at Harry, trying to see if the boy was really alright with all of what he had say. When it became clear that Harry wasn't on the verge of breaking down, he simply headed out without as much as a goodnight.

After a while, Harry finally fell asleep, half-sitting on his chair, half-lying on Scott's bed. He didn't know how long he had been out when he felt a hand in his hair and woke up to see his lover looking at him, a soft smile playing on his lips.

"Hey! You're awake!" Harry exclaimed before climbing on the bed, still being careful about doing anything too brusque.

He knew that Hank had said that Scott didn't have any other injury than the one Harry had healed, and that the unconsciousness wasn't the result of something that would still be hurting him when he woke up, but he preferred not to take any chance.

"You scared the hell out of me!" he chastised and Scott grimaced.

"Sorry," the mutant apologized. "How long was I out?"

Harry looked around to find a clock and saw that it was the middle of the night.

"About a dozen hours," he said, calculating mentally how long it had been since they came back. "Oh… I thought it had been longer."

Scott smiled.

"I bet you did. Tell me you didn't sit around here for twelve hours."

Harry shook his head.

"Okay, so I probably would have but Hank refused to let me enter the infirmary for a few hours so I read the letter I received before – and Remus says hi! – and went to destroy one more horcrux and," he added when he saw Scott ready to reprimand him for taking risks. "I took Ororo with me so don't even think about it!"

"Alright. So there is only one horcrux left. That snake you say Voldemort possess."

Harry nodded. God, he hated the lies but he had to follow through them.

"Yeah, that's right. Soon it will be totally finished."

"And when it is, you can show me your world," Scott said, already looking forwards to seeing all these magical things that Harry had grown up with.

Harry smiled at him, making it seem like he was excited about it too but, on the inside, his heart was breaking because he knew that it was never going to happen.

"Yeah, I will. But, for now, just sleep already because, if you don't, Hank will have my head on a platter and how am I supposed to defeat a dark lord if I'm already dead, huh?"

Scott chucked at that and acquiesced. He wasn't too keen on having to sleep in the infirmary but he knew Harry was right. Plus, he was really tired, even though he had basically spent the last twelve hours sleeping. God, he hated it when he was unconscious. Thankfully, it didn't even take him ten minutes to be back into dreamland.

Harry went back to his room and settled for the night. He was finally going to have a good night of sleep. Was it strange that it would be easier to sleep knowing that his impending death was even closer than the day before? Because, now that he knew where all the horcruxes were and that all of them save for the last two were destroyed, it was easier for him to find sleep.

The night passed quickly for Scott and, when he woke up, it was still very early morning. Harry wasn't there yet, so he assumed he had to have gone back to his room after he fell asleep and, seeing that he was fine, he would be going too.

He quickly left the hospital wing, knowing that Hank wasn't going to be very pleased with him but, seeing that he didn't have any injury left, he saw no reason for the blue man not to want him to go.

It was maybe early but it didn't mean that everyone was still asleep. As it as, a lot of the X-Men were already up and about, having been to bed earlier than usual the night before, because they were exhausted from their adventure.

When he passed by, he heard Harry's name coming from Rogue and Kitty's room and, knowing that he shouldn't do it but letting his curiosity get the better of him as he didn't know what had happened the day before, he edged towards the slightly open door to hear what they were saying.

"How do you think Harry is feeling right now?" Kitty was asking.

"What do you think, Kitty," Bobby interrupted – and maybe he ought to have a chat with that boy about being in his girlfriend's room so early in the morning. "After what he did… god, I know I would feel pretty awful if I was him."

Scott frowned. What were they talking about?

"I don't know how he feels," he heard Marie say. "But I think that Logan went to talk to him last night, to make sure he was alright you know so I think he must be… well, maybe not totally okay, but at least that he will be in time."

"Still," Bobby took over again. "I can't believe he _killed_ Sabertooth."

Scott nearly gasped at that, which would have given his presence away. He just couldn't comprehend what Bobby was saying. Harry couldn't have killed him, could he? He had said nothing to him when he had woken up but it couldn't be true.

"I was surprised too," Rogue told him. "But he didn't hesitate. He pointed his wand, said two words and Sabertooth was dead. I don't think that _he_ could believe it."

Deciding he had heard enough, Scott left, not wanting to hear the rest of the conversation, still unable to understand that Harry could have killed someone in cold blood. He didn't hear Rogue say that he hadn't had a choice, didn't hear her say that it was the only thing to do and didn't hear her say that it was the only way to save Scott's life.

Scott went into his room and dropped on his bed, the echoes of the conversation he had just eavesdropped still fresh in his mind. He just couldn't conciliate the image of Harry, his Harry, with the killer Rogue had described. And yet, yet he knew that she hadn't been lying. After all, why would she? It wasn't as if the others hadn't been there. They may not have seen the scene like Rogue, but they would have known that Sabertooth was dead and that the wizard was the one who had done it.

He was left alone for a while before his door opened, revealing none other than the boy who was occupying his thought at the present moment. He took a second to take in the joyous demeanor and nearly had to bit his lips to avoid screaming.

"Hey!" Harry greeted. "Hank told me you had slipped away so I thought I would find you here."

"Why didn't you tell me?" Scott asked in a cool voice.

He wasn't sure about why he was reacting like that. He knew that sometimes they were forced to do things, things they would never have done otherwise, but knowing that Harry had killed someone… he just couldn't stand the thought. It was strange; he knew that Logan had killed more than one person in his past and it didn't bother him at all, but that wasn't the same.

"Tell you what?" Harry asked tentatively, stopping his progression when he gathered that Scott was mad at him for some reason.

"That you have killed someone!" he exploded.

Harry bit his lips. He did have the intention of telling him, but he hadn't wanted to do so when they were in the infirmary. Besides, it wasn't as if he had had a choice. Of course, Harry supposed that Scott hearing it in the mansion wasn't all that surprising after all; lots of people were talking about that.

"Sabertooth? I was going to tell you sometime today."

"Why the hell did you decide that killing him was a good idea?"

"When there was no other choice!" Harry said, his voice rising too.

"There is always a choice, Harry," Scott said, his voice dead quiet. "You chose to put an end to a life. How could you do that?"

So that was it? He was responsible for Sabertooth's dead because he had wanted to do it? That was what Scott thought? He thought that he had willingly chosen to kill someone, even though there were other choices? Tears rose in his eyes but he kept them at bay for the moment. He wasn't going to cry in front of Scott.

"I never thought you would judge me like this," he said softly.

"And I never thought you would kill in cold blood," Scott countered.

Harry held his star for a few more seconds before giving an imperceptible nod and leaving the room, hoping in vain to be called back. When that didn't happen, he closed the door behind himself and, without being able to keep his tears from falling anymore, he made his way to his room. He didn't stop when he passed in front of his friends, not even when they called after him, worried, but he locked up his room.

He heard the others try to open it but they soon realized they weren't able to. However, in his distress, he had forgotten all about Kurt and Kitty's powers and the young girl phased through his door, only to come to a halt when she saw the states of the room.

"You're packing?" she asked incredulous. "Harry, you're not going to leave!" she exclaimed.

He turned to her, his face damp with tears, and stopped what he was doing to sit down heavily on the bed.

"Then what am I supposed to do, Kit?" he asked, sounding so lost that she quickly ran to him, sat down at his side and took him into an embrace.

He went willingly and was soon weeping his heart out, holding onto her like she was his safety boat.

"Why do people keep turning on me on a whim? I thought he was different," he sobbed out and Kitty was barely able to make out the words.

The pain in his voice, in his heart, however, was so easy to read that she understood at once what she and the others had been missing for a while.

"Honey, when you said that you had someone, you were talking about Scott, weren't you?" she asked quietly and, regaining a bit his composure, he looked at her through the water in his eyes.

Silently he nodded and she closed her eyes for a second.

"I'm so sorry, sweetie."

Harry shrugged, finally able to breathe normally again and not crying anymore. He was still hurting like never before but the storm had passed. Kitty let him be for a little while, knowing that the last thing he needed now was to be crowded, but she still had to ask.

"Harry, you're not leaving, right?"

Harry saw the hope shining in her eyes and he smiled sadly at her.

"I need to get out for a little while. But," he said as she was going to talk again. "I'm not packing. I'm leaving all my stuff here so I have to come back at least to take it. And if- if I decide to leave, I promise you that I will come and say goodbye and not just leave without saying anything, alright?"

She didn't look all that convinced but she could understand where he was coming from. Scott had hurt him pretty badly and, considering their relationship, it was really bad. However, she had a feeling that, if Scott had turned on him like Harry said, it meant that the other man had no idea of what really happened, that he had only heard bribes of it and made his mind without having all the facts; he would probably have been more rational and looked at all the pieces if it hadn't concerned Harry.

She made him promise that he would do as he said and left the room first, telling the others to get out of the hallway. Harry needed to take some time alone, outside, to think and he didn't need to be questioned. Then, she told them what had happened – letting out the fact that both men were lovers, as it wasn't her place to tell – and they decided that Scott needed a wake up call before it was too late.

"We can't all go, he will think we're ganging up on him," Kitty said.

"Shouldn't we?" Bobby asked, not very happy with the turn the events were taking.

Rogue shook her head. No, it really wouldn't do. Their leader wouldn't want to explain himself in front of a bunch of kids. It was a one-person job.

"Rogue should do it," Kurt intervened. "He would be more willing to listen to her than any of us."

Even though the young woman in question wasn't exactly convinced of that, she accepted to do it because she wanted to help Harry and the last things all of them needed was a fallout like that in the team. Especially since they would have to act against Voldemort very soon and that the wizard would probably go alone if he was at odd with Scott.

Determinately, she knocked on the door and heard the field leader's voice telling her to enter. She did, took one look at him and realized that he didn't need anyone to scream at him to make hum understand he had messed up big time. He was apparently already aware of that particular fact.

"How much did I fuck up?" he asked and Rogue took it as a testament of how upset he was for him to be willing to swear in front of one of the student.

"Let's just say that you're very lucky Kitty was able to stop him from packing and leaving," she said bluntly.

Scott took the blow without flinching. He wasn't overly surprised that his lover would simply leave without telling him, not after what he had said to him. Still, he couldn't understand what had happened that day.

"Why?" he asked the Southern belle. "Why did he do it?"

Rogue understood the question without needing anymore explanation and looked at him, sadness written in her eyes.

"Because it was the only way to save you," she told him gently. "Sabertooth was going to kill you and Harry didn't have any other choice."

"Oh," he said, biting his lips. "What do I do now?"

"Now?" Rogue repeated. "Now, you wait for him to come back and you grovel. He's going to forgive you but god, fearless, next time, talk to him before jumping to whatever conclusion alright?"

Scott nodded and thanked the young woman. He watched her leave and stayed a few more minutes on his bed, trying to figure how he was supposed to apologize but, quite frankly, he didn't know if anything would be enough. So, instead, he made his way to his lover's room, swallowing with difficulty when he saw the bags and clothes everywhere, some of the latter already inside of them, and sat down on the bed. Now, he just had to wait for Harry to come back and hope that the young man would once again forgive him for hurting him.


	14. Chapter 13

**Title**: Harry Potter and the Horcruxes' Quest

**Genre**: slight AU, crossover (HP/X-men), slash

**Characters**: Harry/Scott, cast

**Disclaimer**: Characters are not mine; they belong to their respective creators

**Summary**: After OotP, Harry decides to run away in order to train to be ready to face Voldemort. He goes to find the one person he trusted as a child: Scott Summer. Sparks fly. Spoilers for HBP and DH.

**Note**: This chapter has not been beta-readed and English is not my first language. I hope it's still readable.

**_Thanks to all of those who reviewed!_**

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Chapter 13

When Harry came back to the mansion, the day had already passed by. He had been walking around for hours and hours, never going too far away from the school, but just wandering to clear up his mind from all the turmoil he was feeling. He knew he needed to decide what to do and how to do with. He knew that he had friends there and he couldn't just leave without coming back, not when he had expressly promised not to.

However, almost all horcruxes had been destroyed, the only ones remaining being those that had to wait until he faced Voldemort, and he would have to get back to Hogwarts very soon. He was certain that Voldemort would probably attack soon, whether or not Harry was there. After all, not a year had gone by without him or one of his servants trying something. He was also aware that Hogwarts was high on the list of his priorities, particularly now that the Ministry had finally admitted his return.

What Harry had to do was clear enough. He had to say his goodbyes to the mutants and go back to the Wizarding world to accomplish his last mission. He just would have preferred to be in good terms with everyone when that happened and, most of all, with Scott.

He eventually pushed the front door and walked into the deserted halls. It was already night-time and he gathered that most people – if not all – were already in bed; they, after all, did have a curfew and it was already well past it. He guessed that he would certainly have a chat with Xavier because of that. Harry may not have been a mutant, that didn't mean he wasn't subjected to the same rules than the other students. He just had more liberty to ask for a delay if he had something important to do.

He went directly to his room and expected to find it in the same state he had left it in. For that, he was surprised when he saw that Scott was there, asleep on the bed, with all his bags and clothes pushed away. He guessed that the mutant had wanted to wait for him and fell asleep after a while. He knew he could have gone to another room and it wasn't the nicest thing to do and suspected that the older man wanted to talk to him. He just hoped that it wasn't for some more accusations; he wasn't sure he would be able to take it.

"Scott," he called out after having closed the room behind him.

The effect was instantaneous and the sleeping mutant startled awake. Harry knew that kind of reaction to be the one of those who had gotten used to always be on their guard and careful about their surroundings, even in their sleep.

"Harry?" he questioned as soon as he got his bearing back. "Thanks god," he then sighed, having been worried when he saw the time pass and still no sign of Harry.

There was a moment of uncomfortable silence before Scott looked straight into Harry's eyes, refusing to escape his gaze. He needed his young lover to understand he was truthful in what he was saying and he knew that the best way to accomplish that was to let him see his eyes.

"I'm sorry about what I said, Harry. I don't know what came over me. I know that sometimes we have to kill, I know that. I just… I guess I just wanted to believe that you would never have to make that choice and when… when I learnt that you had to, I was angry. Not at you, but it was… just easier to lash out at you rather than fate…"

Harry watched his lover intently and knew instantly that the man was telling the truth. God, these eyes were so expressive and swimming with water because of his desperation for Harry to believe that he meant what he was saying.

"It hurt Scott," he said, wanting him to understand what he had done to him.

"I know. I don't know what I can say to make it right again," the mutant admitted, whispering. "Do you… do you think you will be able to forgive me?"

He was almost chocking and al his instincts were telling him to get out of the room to avoid getting hurt, but he had to know, he had to know if there was anyway he could salvage their relationship. Some tears leaked out of his eyes, running down his cheeks, but he made no move to wipe them out.

Harry made a small smile and nodded silently, almost imperceptibly, walking up to his bed where Scott was still sitting, looking so very lost that he seemed younger than he really was, seemed maybe even younger than Harry himself.

The wizard kissed the tears away, gently, tenderly, and was rewarded with a watery smile that made his heart flutter.

"Of course, I forgive you. Otherwise, I wouldn't have been able to kill him in the first place."

Scott looked at Harry, questioningly, not understanding what Harry was trying to stay. It just didn't make any sense in his opinion. Harry chuckled and let Scott pull him onto his laps, straddling him slightly.

"Because I love you," Harry murmured, looking straight at him.

It was as if time had stopped its course, for the both of them. Of course, they both knew what their feelings for each other were; that had never been the question. They hadn't once voiced the words out loud since they had begun their romance and Harry was the first one to say them. It was as if a step had been crossed. There was no going back now and, somehow, Scott found himself liking that very much.

"I love you too Harry," he answered, knowing that that declaration couldn't stay unanswered.

The young wizard smiled and their lips met in a tender kiss, guided by the softness of the situation. Passion wasn't what they needed right now, but reassurance and love were. It was time for an embrace that would show each other the depth of their feelings and not only the strength of the fire that burnt between them.

Scott let himself fall on his back on the young man's bed and Harry ended up holding himself up on his elbows, his face so very close to his lover's that he almost _felt_ him say the words.

"Make love to me, Harry," Scott pleaded.

Harry startled imperceptibly and looked into the midnight colored pearls, looking for an answer.

"Are you sure?" he asked, because they had never done it that way yet.

Scott nodded.

"I want it. I want it before… before we go to Hogwarts, Harry. We don't know what's going to happen that day and…"

Harry cut him off with a kiss. He couldn't think about that, couldn't think about his imminent death at the moment, but he did understand what Scott meant and that was the most important.

Breaking up for air, he reached blindly for his wand and muttered a few spells negligently that let them hear the lock being turned and the door glow a light blue, before he let it fall on the ground.

When Harry awoke the next morning, he was happier than he had ever been before. He didn't get up immediately and stayed comfortably in Scott's arm, the mutant having spent the night with him. He knew that it was dangerous if they really didn't want any other students to know about them but they just hadn't wanted to move to Scott's room the night before.

The most important, though, wasn't only that Harry had his first real fight with Scott and the relationship survived it, but it was also that he understood now what Dumbledore meant by the power of love. He knew what he meant because he had realized that he would do anything for those he loved, he would be the winner against Voldemort who only held negative emotions. His lover for others would be stronger than Voldemort's hate and would allow him to do whatever it took, even dying for them.

He guessed that Dumbledore had been right after all and that, that time around, he wasn't trying to feed him a half-truth. It was just that Harry did have to find the answer by himself and he couldn't have clued him in.

He felt Scott stir awake beside him and turned to him, smiling.

"Hey! How did you sleep?" he asked jovially.

"Like a baby…. What are you thinking about?"

Harry shook his head.

"Nothing special. We have to tell the others that it's time to go to Hogwarts. I need to know who's going to come before I tell Professor Dumbledore about it. He _will_ have to accept whoever decides to come if he wants me to be there and no one but the Order will know about our presence, not even my friends. I don't want them to know I'm back for the moment."

"They are going to be mad at you, you know?" Scott said and Harry nodded.

"Of course, I know that but I think it's better this way."

Scott sighed before putting himself in a sitting position.

"I guess we should go to breakfast. I'm sure they are a lot of people down there wondering if you're going to stay," he finished in a small voice.

Harry rolled his eyes and kissed him thoroughly.

"I think I've proved that yes, I was going to stay. Well, more than you're going to come with me but, I guess it's the same. Now, let's go downstairs."

When they entered the kitchen, the students quieted down and were surprised to see them acting as if nothing was wrong. Still, Harry sought out Kitty's eyes to let her now everything was alright once again. They sat down at the table and Harry opened his mind to Xavier who, aware of how important it must be for Harry to do something like that, asked him what was going on in his mind.

"_I need to talk to the X-Men about what's going to happen now for Voldemort."_

Charles nodded and transmitted the message to all the others, telling them to join him in his office later in the morning. They all were excited about what was going to happen, knowing that Harry had reunited almost all horcruxes.

Once again Harry found himself the receiving end of a lot of attention once inside the room.

"So, Harry, what is going to happen now?" asked Charles Xavier.

Harry looked at them and finally decided what to say.

"The one horcrux left is Nagini, who is always with Voldemort so there is nothing more than I can do from here. The school year is almost at its end and, knowing Voldemort, he will soon try something in Hogwarts, whether it's him or his death-eaters. I'm intending to go back now if I want a go at him. Scott… Scott already said what he was going to come with me but, since all of you have told me that you wanted to participate, I need to know if some of you want to come too."

There was a lot of talking going on, mostly from the students that of the group, stating that there was no way that Harry was doing this without them. Finally, it was Logan that quieted them down with an exclamation.

"Now," Charles began. "I need for those who want to go to Scotland to announce themselves."

All of them were, of course, and Harry couldn't help feeling both grateful and fearful. He knew that he was putting them in danger but he also knew that they would be able to defend themselves, more than his friends in Hogwarts would have.

"Good. I would have liked to accompany you as well Harry, but I fear I have to stay here to take care of the school," Xavier lamented. "I will of course keep my mind open were you to need someone to transmit message mentally."

"Thank you Professor, though I'm not sure the wards in Hogwarts will allow that. I will write to the Headmaster to warn him about our arrival and inform you of his answer as soon as I get it."

All of them nodded and they were soon dismissed by Xavier, all returning to their usual occupations. Harry was followed by his friends when he went to his room and he hoped that there wouldn't be anything showing what he and Scott had been up to. He guessed that they wanted to know how the conversation with Scott had gone the night before and he wasn't going to leave them hanging.

"I hope you don't mind if I write while you're here," he asked.

The others just acquiesced and he sat down, letting them ask their questions about what had happened exactly, because they hadn't know exactly what had transpired between them during their fight. Of course, Harry didn't give all the details, but just the most important – well, except for the obvious. They were of course delighted to know that they were again on very good terms, they had been afraid that Harry would want to go alone to fight Voldemort.

_Dear Professor Dumbledore,_

_As you're already aware, I've been training for a while and have destroyed almost all horcruxes. The only ones left cannot be taken care of before my facing Voldemort, therefore I'll have to do it at the moment the fight begins._

_I intend to come back to Hogwarts but only under the reservation of you accepting the presence of seven of my friends. They aren't wizards but possess powers that muggles don't. I do not know whether you're familiar with the term of 'mutant' or not, but it is what they are called in the muggle world._

_They have been helping me both with the task of the horcruxes but also with my training. We feel that it could be an advantage to have them in a fight, since it would allow us the effect of surprise. They also categorically refuse to leave me fight Voldemort alone._

_I also ask you not to tell any students of our arrival, my friends included. For now, I would rather only the Order and, maybe, the Hogwarts' staff if necessary, knowing I'm back. I do not wish to include my friends in the fight and know that I wouldn't have any other choice, should they learn of my presence beforehand._

_Please, do send a message back to confirm our welcome at the castle and we will arrive shortly afterwards. I would be most grateful if you could arrange lodgings for us to stay together, as in any other common room if possible. I will, of course, answer your questions, if they are reasonable, as well as the ones the Order can have._

_With my regard,_

_Harry J. Potter_

As he watched Hedwig fly away with the missive, he could only hope the Headmaster would be reasonable. He knew that he was taking some risk by writing about his coming back without code but it wasn't as if there was a lot of important information. Even if Voldemort knew about his destroying the horcruxes, it wouldn't change anything. The man wouldn't be able to do anymore of them, his soul was already too fractured and to do anymore of them would ensure his becoming a spirit once again.


	15. Chapter 14

**Title**: Harry Potter and the Horcruxes' Quest

**Genre**: slight AU, crossover (HP/X-men), slash

**Characters**: Harry/Scott, cast

**Disclaimer**: Characters are not mine; they belong to their respective creators

**Summary**: After OotP, Harry decides to run away in order to train to be ready to face Voldemort. He goes to find the one person he trusted as a child: Scott Summer. Sparks fly. Spoilers for HBP and DH.

**Note**: This chapter has not been beta-readed and English is not my first language. I hope it's still readable.

**_Thanks to all of those who reviewed_**

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Chapter 14

While waiting for Dumbledore's answer with barely concealed impatience, he finished reading a book that talked about Grindelwald and his curiosity was attracted when he saw that, contrary to Voldemort, the symbol the Dark Lord had used was something way much more obscure and which referred to a legend, the legend of the Deadly Hallows. He read it avidly and couldn't help seeing the resemblance between the objects that were described and reality. The cloak to shield oneself from Death was just like his invisibility cloak while the ring described looked like Moony said about the ring that Dumbledore had dimmed a horcrux; it would at least explain why he had been too eager to put in on to be careful enough. The wand, though, was trickier; after all, who knew who was now in possession of that particular wand?

The answer was quick enough to come and, thankfully, Dumbledore had apparently understood after their last conversation that Harry was playing anymore and the answer to his conditions was an absolute positive. He asked whether or not he wanted him to arrange any transportation but, knowing they would quickly be there, there was no need for him to answer.

Soon enough, after a flight in the jet, the X-Men, in normal clothing, were walking through the deserted streets of Hogsmeade, not noticing anything too particular. Most of them would have thought that the village would be totally wacky but, seeing that all the shops were closed, it didn't seem to strange. They were almost disappointed.

"So, Harry," Scott began. "Are we taking the secret passage or do we go normally?"

The question wasn't answered by Harry but by the arrival of some carriages, pulled by Thestrals. Harry deduced that the Headmaster had guessed they would pass by Hogsmeade and had arranged for them to be able to come to the castle without having to deal with dust filled tunnels or anything of the sort. Or, maybe, conceded Harry, he didn't want them to have to break into either a shop or a bar to do so.

"What the hell are these things?" Logan exclaimed, apparently not very impressed by the animals.

"Euh… carriage?" Kitty ventured, a bit puzzled by Logan's reaction. "Well, carriage that aren't pulled by anything," she conceded, finding it a bit strange.

"Not pulled by anything?" Rogue repeated, incredulous. "Are you kidding me? These things are ugly but they are here."

While Kitty defended herself, saying that she wasn't seeing anything, Rogue and the others joined in, saying that there was something, something resembling to skeletons, which was simply disgusting.

"Don't worry if you can't see them, Kitty," Harry said to cut off the conversation before it went too far. "The only ones who can are people who have seen death."

That quieted effectively all talking.

"What do you mean, Harry?" Ororo asked. "Do we need to have seen someone dead to see them."

"No," he answered. "You need to have seen someone die."

Noticing that it was a conversation stopper if there ever was one, Harry just smiled to them and told them that they needed to get inside, four by carriage if possible. Since Logan refused to let the kids go by themselves, he went with Rogue, Bobby and Kitty, while the other four went inside another.

"Will it be a long way to the School?" Kurt asked and both Ororo and Scott wondered the same, the latter haven't been able to say how long they were underground the last time around.

Harry shook his head.

"Don't worry. We should be there pretty soon. I just hope that Dumbledore will wait tomorrow to demand explanations. It's the middle of the night. Well, here anyway. I'm sure he's not going to ask everyone to stay up 'til the wee hour of the morning."

"Yes, we would be most grateful if we could first get installed in our rooms before having to deal with all of their questions and preparations for the fight," Ororo said before frowning. "But your Headmaster doesn't seem like someone very patient."

Harry smiled, he knew that the young woman hadn't been too impressed by Dumbledore from their brief encounter and that was an understatement. They would see if that opinion would change afterwards.

They arrived shortly afterwards and all of them found themselves in awe before the castle. After all, even Scott hadn't seen it from the outside and, with all the lights of the night, it simply looked magical. There was no other word to describe it and that, even for Harry, after so many years.

"Damn, Harry," Bobby whispered. "That school is gigantic. How the hell can you not lose yourself?"

"Language, Bobby," Scott chastised automatically, earning himself a sheepish look from the boy.

"Don't worry, it took me weeks to get the hang of it and I still sometimes have problems with some areas."

The other nodded and followed Harry thought the numerous hallways. He was almost certain that Dumbledore knew of their arrival and simply had decided to let them come to his office. Thankfully, that probably meant that there was no one else but the Headmaster that would talk to them that night.

He was, of course, right and, when they arrived in front of the gargoyle, Harry grimaced. He called up a ghost that was passing by and weren't the reaction that he got from the X-Men, minus Scott who had gotten acquainted with Myrtle the first time around, fun? He guessed that knowing that ghosts existed or seeing it wasn't the same thing.

"Could you please ask the Headmaster to let us enter, since he forgot to tell me the password," he politely asked.

"Of course, Mister Potter," the translucent man said before disappearing through the gargoyle.

Barely seconds later, the statue opened and Harry lead his little group, in admiration about the place, up to the Headmaster's office. Thankfully, as he arrived there, he saw that he had been right about being alone with the man.

"Harry, my boy, it's very good to see you safe. And it's very nice to meet your new friends."

His damn twinkle was back in his eyes and his whole demeanor friendly once again. Harry guessed that since he was back, he was going to once again take the grandfatherly behavior, no matter the fact that he knew that Harry could see right through it. Of, Harry had no doubt that the man was glad he was back, just not for the reason of him being here but him being here to defeat their enemy.

"It's nice to be back, Headmaster," Harry answered and he wasn't exactly lying.

He liked Hogwarts just fine and was happy to be there on his own terms. He then processed to introduce everyone to Dumbledore, giving only names and not codenames, with the exception of Rogue, who was as bad as Tonks when it came to the use of her first.

They chatted for a little while and Harry told his headmaster that he would give an overview of the situation for the Order but only once everyone was reunited; there was no need to go over it twice.

"Alright, Harry. Why don't you and your friends go get some rest? I didn't know what your sleeping arrangements were so each of you has his own room. Dobby will lead you to the tower."

Once again, they all thanked the Headmaster and a few minutes later they were all in the common room that had been arranged for them. It was very cozy and, contrary to the Houses' common room, the set of color wasn't the reflection of one of the four Houses but a mix of it. It was nice to know that Dumbledore wasn't going to get Harry inside a Griffindor state of mind to make sure he remembered what he was.

"I don't know what you want to do guys, but I would suggest trying to get some sleep. Otherwise, tomorrow will be hell," Harry suggested.

"Harry is right," Scott supported. "Now, kids, each of you chose which rooms they want and go get some sleep."

Of course, the children knew better than try to get out of it. Whether as students or X-Men, Scott was still in charge of them. Both Logan and Ororo, though, could do whatever they wanted. Logan decided to go and roam through the halls while Ororo decided to do as the kids. Seeing that they didn't want anyone to get lost, Harry landed the Marauders' map to the feral, who thanked him even though he was sure he could have gone back all by himself.

Harry followed the example of the other's student. After all, he was supposed to follow Scott's orders too and, since no one was supposed to know they were lovers, it was better not to do any other that all the students.

As soon as he arrived in his room, he saw something on his bed. He went and realized that it was a letter, with apparently something inside. Only his name was written on it and he thought it must have been the Headmaster since he was the only one who knew that they had arrived already.

He opened it and let the object slide in his hand. It was a ring and Harry was certain that it had to be the same ring that used to be a horcrux. Of course, there wasn't any curse left on it but he didn't put it on just now.

_I know that you must know your destiny, Harry. I'm sorry I can't do anything to help but I can give you that last gift. I hope you will find some of the answers you seek before the last stand. Albus Dumbledore._

Harry, even though he had suspected that the Headmaster would sacrifice him for the cause, understood that the man really meant it when he said that he was sorry and he knew that he had been right about the ring being one of the deadly hallow.

He took it and played with it for a while, not knowing exactly what to do with it, before finally deciding to put it on. It didn't take long for three shapes to draw themselves in front of him and he found himself looking at both his parents and Sirius. His breath caught in his throat.

"Harry," Lily whispered. "We are with you all the time, never forget that."

Harry knew what she meant and that she and the two men that were in agreement with what was being said. They would always be with him, no matter where he was and what he was doing. He felt so much love in her words.

"You don't have to worry, son," his father said. "Everything will be fine."

Harry could see the truth behind his words and wondered how it could be when he was going to die. At least, he would see his parents again soon and maybe he could still watch over his friends from the afterlife.

"By the way, kiddo, good choice. Way better than Cho!"

Harry laughed out loud. Trust Sirius to comment about his taste in men in such a moment. But he was happy to hear him again and pleased to know that he approved of his relationship with Scott. It meant a lot to him. He always had wanted for him to be able to meet the one friend he had when he was younger and, even though it would never happen, it was as if he had done.

"Does it hurt?" he asked and sounded like a little boy more than the teenager he was.

"Dying?" his mother asked. "No sweetie. It's peaceful, like going to sleep."

She was smiling softly, trying to reassure him and it was so good. That was what he had wanted all his life. Why couldn't it be truth? Why couldn't it be something that would stay and not be taken away immediately?

"It's just much quicker," his father added.

Harry nodded, thanking them silently before looking at them one last time.

"I love you so much," he said softly. "All three of you."

"We love you too kiddo," his godfather answered and all of them smiled, telling him that they meant it.

"Goodbye," he murmured, tears in his voice before taking the ring off.

It hurt like hell but he knew that he couldn't live with them by his side. The living and the dead shouldn't live together for the reason the legend indicated, for the fact that they could never really be together up to the moment where the living chose to join their loved ones in death and killed themselves, like the man of the legend.

Harry called for Hedwig, who was flying not very far away from his window, having come with them inside the jet. He hadn't wanted her to make the whole way from States to England on wings.

"Hey girl, I need you to do something for me," he said and she hooted in question.

"Can you take this ring and lose it somewhere in the Forbidden Forest where no one will be able to find it?" he asked and she gave a slight hoot that Harry took as a yes before giving her the ring and watch her fly away in the direction of the green extend.

Harry stood immobile for a few minutes before getting out of his room. He couldn't stay in there, not knowing what would soon happen, and the conversation with Sirius and his parents making it so much more real that it had been up to know.

He figured out quickly where Scott was and slid inside his own room, padding to the bed and hopping gently on it.

"Harry?" Scott asked, frowning.

Harry didn't answer immediately but just took his place inside his arms, resting his head on his chest and his arms around his torso. Scott tightened his hold of the young man, feeling him shake slightly, and he worried about what was going on. Nevertheless, he waited for Harry to find his words.

"I'm scared," he admitted and Scott began to sooth him, rubbing his hand on his arms.

"It's going to be alright, Harry," he assured even though he was aware that it was very probable it wouldn't be.

But he couldn't think about that solution now. Losing Harry to that fight wasn't an option for him. He wouldn't be able to stand it and he knew it. So he just totally ignored the possibility of Harry's dying at Voldemort's hand. He had to win.

"We will be with you. I will be with you, you won't ever be alone and Voldemort has no chance to win, alright. He's going to die and you're going to live."

There was so much conviction in his voice that Harry, for a moment, could let himself believe in it and imagine that he was going to live through that confrontation. He smiled when he felt Scott kiss his head and just turned slightly burying his face inside the cotton-top pajama that Scott was wearing and closed his eyes.

A few minutes later found him dead to the world, his mind thankfully void of massacre filled images.


	16. Chapter 15

**Title**: Harry Potter and the Horcruxes' Quest

**Genre**: slight AU, crossover (HP/X-men), slash

**Characters**: Harry/Scott, cast

**Disclaimer**: Characters are not mine; they belong to their respective creators

**Summary**: After OotP, Harry decides to run away in order to train to be ready to face Voldemort. He goes to find the one person he trusted as a child: Scott Summer. Sparks fly. Spoilers for HBP and DH.

**Note**: This chapter has not been beta-readed and English is not my first language. I hope it's still readable.

_**Thanks to all of those who reviewed**_

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Chapter 15

The common room was filled with people very early the morning after because, for them, they had been to bed very _very_ early and didn't need all that much sleep. Harry called for Dobby to get some food and they ate together, most of them amazed at being served like this and not having to do anything by themselves.

"It's too bad we can't have things like this at the Institute," Bobby lamented, making the others laugh.

"Careful, Bobby, you wouldn't want me to add to your chores just to spit you," Scott threatened and the other chuckled when they saw Bobby open wide eyes.

"Me? Complaining? Never, Mister Summer!" he assured with an angelic smile.

Harry was trying to commit the image to his memory. He knew that it was almost the end for him but to see them laughing, so happy, so seemingly carefree when he did knew they weren't, was a beautiful painting that he wanted to have in mind at the moment of his death. His friends, his lover… all reunited and celebrating life, that was the most beautiful thing ever and he was happy, happy that he had gotten to know them and count them as friends, no matter for how very little time it had been. At least, at least he had found true happiness before the hour of his death and that was something that he could cherish forever and ever, in the eternity of afterlife.

"What's up, sugar?" Rogue asked her as she sat down next to him whispering in his ear. "You seem far away."

He turned to her and smiled a real smile. He was feeling so good, a kind of euphoria, knowing that he was living on borrowed time but that, at the moment, it just didn't matter. He didn't understand his feelings anymore. The night before, he had been so desperate, so afraid of what little time he had left. He had been ready to snap, to break down, and now he was just feeling so good that he could have made the strongest patronus ever.

"Nothing, Rogue. I guess I'm just happy to see all of you here. I love the mansion but I kind of missed Hogwarts too and being able to be here and to have you all with me, it's like a dream," he explained and she smiled.

"It's great to be there. I've wanted to since the first time you described it and then you showed us your memories and I wanted to come even more. Too bad we didn't have time to visit yet."

"There is still time. And if not before the fight, then after.

Of course, that would mean they would need someone else to show them around but he hoped that they would still look. After all, it was kind of something he had promised all of them, to show them the School and its oddities.

"Should Bobby be jealous of what's going between the two of you, Herr Potter, Mädchen Rogue?" Kurt asked when he saw them whispering to each other.

"And your girlfriend, Harry?" Bobby added.

He had of course been told by Rogue that Harry was going out with someone as soon as the young woman had learnt it. He had been a bit puzzled about the fact that he was already with someone and still fell for Scott, though he could understand that he hadn't chosen to do so. Maybe he would soon either be over Scott or break up with said girlfriend.

Of course, Kitty burst off laughing when she heard that and Wolverine snickered, while Scott was smiling and trying to look as if he was interested about his friend's love life. The others were looking a bit puzzled at the young woman's reaction and Harry spoke up, defending Kitty.

"As I said to Kit' before," he began. "When did I ever say it was a girl I was with?"

A silence met his affirmation and then Bobby nodded. Of course, that was reasonable. If Harry had fallen for Scott, he was at least bisexual, which meant that it didn't matter if he had a boy or a girl. It didn't change anything for him. Kurt and Ororo were a bit more surprised but it didn't exactly matter. After all, they weren't going to begin to talk about how unnatural it would be, since they were mutant and natural was not a term used to qualify them usually.

"Then your boyfriend," Bobby sighed, wanting to get back on the topic.

"You know, I'm sure he won't think I'm going to cheat on him with anyone, and he knows there are some people I'm very close of. He wouldn't mind."

Bobby was going to speak up once again but the arrival of Dobby in the room for the second time this morning prevented him from doing so.

"Hey, Dobby, what's up?"

"Dumbledore Sir is sending Dobby to get Harry Potter Sir and his friends. You is to go to the Headquarter for the reunion of you-know-what," he ended in a whisper as if he was telling as secret. "You can use the fireplace there. It is connected to the network."

Harry opened his mouth and closed it again.

"Did the Headmaster give something to help me?"

He had to ask because he couldn't tell them the address himself, not with the fidelius charm on the house.

"Oh yes!" Dobby exclaimed, excitedly. "Dumbledore Sir told me to give that to Harry Potter Sir. You must hurry."

After having given him a piece of parchment, he disappeared.

"Okay," Harry said. "Look at what's written but don't say it out loud. Just memorize the address."

Everyone did as asked and, while they were doing it, Harry went to the fireplace and used the incendio charm to light up a fire and some chimney powder to transform the flame. Once everyone was ready, Harry explained how the fireplace worked and it brought some question.

"Ye want us to step into a fire?" Logan asked, incredulous for once.

"It's a joke, Harry, ja?" Kurt added.

Harry sighed and assured that no, he wasn't joking and, yes, he wanted them to step into the fire.

"There is no risk as long as you do as I tell you to. Really, I know it's not the best way of transport and god know I don't like it but it's the quickest way. I will pass first, so if Dumbledore isn't there yet there won't be too much problems for you. Now remember, a handful of powder and visualize the address you have memorized, okay?"

Everyone nodded.

"I'll make sure everyone does as you have said," Scott assured. "I'll be coming last."

Harry nodded and stepped inside the green flames before disappearing in a blaze of emerald light. When he stepped outside, inside the Headquarter, all conversations desisted and there were some exclamations.

"Wait! I'm glad to see you too but I can't greet you now, there are more people arriving that have never been here yet!" he interjected before Mollie had time to crush him in a hug.

She seemed to understand the matter but Harry could see that there was no way she wasn't going to mollycoddle him a bit during their stay. Moody was the one to gruff a 'welcome back' before saying that everyone should wait inside the kitchen, which was where they would be having their meeting. The others seemed reluctant but obeyed, for which Harry was grateful. He couldn't help thinking that the Headmaster had arranged not to be there just to see the others gang up on Harry.

The first one to arrive was Logan and, even though he stumbled a bit at getting out, Harry didn't try to catch him, knowing that he would probably take it as an offense. He glared at Harry, apparently not impressed at all with that particular form of transport. The young wizards held his hands up in defense, saying that he didn't like it either.

The mutant sniffed the air and registered a lot of different scents, one of which seemed very close to his own, with something equally bestial.

"It's Remus, I think," Harry said.

Logan remembered that the man was a werewolf according to Harry and accepted it. Harry told him to go and wait for him in the kitchen. He couldn't help regret he wouldn't see the others reactions but he had to wait for the others to come. He knew, though, that they would probably be very edgy towards him and, in particular, Moody. He just hoped that there wouldn't be a clash between Remus and Wolverine.

The second one to step through was Ororo and, not too surprisingly, the woman didn't seem to have been disturbed by the way of coming. She came out of the fireplace as elegant as ever and without as much as a stumble. She nonetheless shot a look at Harry.

"This is a most disconcerting way to travel," she said in an even voice. "I don't think I should like to use it every day."

"That much, I can relate to," Harry answered, laughing. "You can go in the kitchen, making sure that Logan has not terrorized the Order too much. Some of them are still my teacher," he added in a whispering voice, as if telling a secret.

The crystalline laugh from Ororo rang through the hallway and, as Harry was waiting for the next mutant to come, he was engulfed in two half-hugs, coming not too surprisingly from two redheads.

"Now, Harrikins," began one of them.

"You could have told us that you would be coming soon," the other continued.

"And have you respected your promise," the first one added.

"To bring your better half with you?" the second finished.

Harry shot them a secretive smile but didn't answer really. He turned when he heard the next one arrive. He just had time to hurry to the fireplace when he saw a blue shape nearly topple down. Thankfully, he was able to catch him in time.

"This is not a good experience," Kurt said, glaring at the fireplace and then looked at the two redheads who were gaping. "Your friends seem to have found themselves a talent for imitating goldfishes."

Harry turned and rolled his eyes.

"Didn't your mom teach you that it was rude to stare," Harry said. "He's just blue!"

"Don't forget the tail!" Kurt added, mocking himself.

That seemed to snap the twins out of their trance and they realized that they may have made their guest uneasy. They smiled to him openly and began to chit chat. It did help some that Kurt was a bit of a prankster himself, even though Bobby still held the first place in the mansion.

Talking about Bobby, he was the next one to come and he nearly fell down on his face. Harry was there to prevent him from greeting the ground but he still grumbled about these fucking ways of transport and fucking wizards that couldn't travel normally. Harry just laughed and thought that the boy was lucky Scott wasn't there yet.

He told him to go join the other and Kurt, promising the twins that they should once play a prank, which had Bobby saying that he would be there for that, left too following him.

Rogue and Kitty arrived very quickly, both of them stumbling slightly but nothing too drastic. Kitty just shuddered a bit at the arrival, saying that she was not going to like using that once again and Rogue shot a look at Harry.

"You could have warned us, Sugar," he chided slightly and Harry gave her a malicious smile.

"But where would have been the fun in this, Rogue?"

She shook his head.

"Well, I'm joining the others while you wait for our fearless leader to arrive," she said, taking Kitty with her.

Both twins were a bit puzzled by the terms chosen by the young woman but they already could tell they would like the both of them. They seemed like nice kids and, if Harry thought them as friends, then it meant that there were worthy of that title.

Finally, Scott arrived and, even though he didn't stumble more than the last two arrivals, Harry caught him as he was leaving the fireplace, his hand lingering on his arm just a little bit longer than necessary and the twins' eyes bulged in their socket.

Harry shot them a look of warning, which was more than enough to make the two redheads understand that there were to keep their mouth shut. Still, an older guy and a sexy one at that; Harry had taste.

The four of them, after Harry had introduced them to each other, made their way to the kitchen were the table was apparently separated in two, one side with the mutants, the other with the wizards and none of them talking, which seemed to make things a bit awkward. Only Molly was chattering incessantly, mostly asking if they wanted something to drink or to eat, never mind the fact that they just finished their breakfast, but she was nervous and it was a habit for her to do that.

When Harry entered the room, she went to him and hugged him, as he had stopped her before. He didn't this time around and returned the embrace, much to the amusement of his new friends as well as the Order.

"Merlin, Harry, how you have grown. And you're not so thin anymore. You have been eating well I see. I've been so worried about you. Thanks Merlin you told the twins you were okay."

"I'm sorry Mrs. Weasley, I never meant to worry anyone. I just needed to get away and I've learnt quite a lot in the last few months."

She released him and looked at him with a critic eyes.

"You seem happier. It has done you some good."

"Mister Potter," the Professor McGonagall cut the conversation. "Maybe you would like to introduce your friends?"

It was more a demand than a question but she was right, they needed to be introduced so he did. He also pointed out the names of the Order's members, which most of the X-Men recognized from the stories they had heard. The whole Order wasn't there, obviously, but only those who knew Harry a little bit more personally. After all, it wasn't as if there was an emergency, it was just to get to know what the young man had done during his absence.

Tonks, not surprisingly, was one of the few that welcomed everyone with open arms and her personality just made everyone love her. Then there was the few Hogwarts Professor, minus Snape that hadn't been able make it. There were more reservations, especially with everything that had happened to Harry as he was in School, but it didn't seem so bad. Remus, of course, already knew Scott and that earned them a few surprised looks, but no one asked at the moment; it still wasn't time for that.

The Weasley family was also delighted that Harry had gotten to live so well with his new friends. They had always considered the boy like a son or a brother and it was high time that something good came for him. Moody had more reservation but that was because he didn't trust anyone. That and the fact that they weren't wizards so how could they help against Voldemort?

Soon enough, Dumbledore arrived and after a brief chat, he asked Harry for what he had done during his absence and where he went. The mutants decided to keep quiet for the moment and let Harry told his story; they would intervene if a question was asked to them precisely but, otherwise, there were in Harry's world. The young boy was the one that knew what was going on and what the others should be told.

"Well," Harry began. "I guess that to understand better what I choose to do, I've first got to tell you that I knew Scott from before Hogwarts."

That did ear a few puzzled look from the Order, as they had realized that the man in question was American.

"When I was seven, my relatives kindly abandoned me in London in the middle of the night," he said much to the consternation of everyone one who was listening and that didn't understand how the Headmaster could have sent him back there after that. "I was in danger there and, well, I did accidental magic. Apparition to be exact."

Some jaws dropped. Apparition was a most difficult art and doing it accidentally was a great fate.

"It wasn't the first time it happened but, usually it was on very little distance. That night, though, I wanted to be someone it wasn't dark so I found myself in the States and I literally bumped into Scott. We stayed together from then on."

"In the streets?" Molly all but shrieked.

Most of them where thinking the same thing but weren't expressing it very vocally, except from Remus who was growling slightly, earning himself a smirk from Wolverine who was beginning to think the man was a kindred spirit.

"It wasn't that bad," he shrugged without lying. "And Scott helped me perfect the apparition so it was useful. But," he added when he saw that most people looked at him disbelievingly and seemed to want to talk. "Well, I'm not going to go into details. So, when I was ten, there was an explosion we were caught in and I woke up in London, in a hospital. Now that's the background is done, I'm going to tell you what happened after the Department of Mysteries."

The others nodded but they were obviously in need of a lot of information.

"After Dumbledore told me the Prophecy and sent me back to my loving relatives, I realized that he had no intention of giving me the training I needed to face Voldemort. And I know most of you think I'm too young, but I've got no choice. So I had to find a way and the only I could think of was running away."

Most of them had already gathered that much and the Headmaster spoke up.

"I'm sorry if forced you to take that decision, Harry," he apologized and, at the moment, Harry could see that the man did believe what he was saying.

He may not have been able to forgive him immediately but it at least would help get there.

"I'm not. I have missed Hogwarts and my friends but… it turned out for the best," he had a great pain avoiding looking directly at Scott as he said that, but he didn't want to reveal too much at the moment. "Now, as I said, I ran away and, well, I went directly to New York because I wanted to find Scott. I wanted to go to someone I could trust and, well, as you can see, I've found him. I stayed at a School, there, and well I was given all the training I needed and more."

He glossed over what happened, really, but they didn't need all the little details and didn't want to have to talk about Magneto or anything of the sort. He wasn't sure how people would react if he said that their little savior had used an unforgivable on another human being.

"When I went to see the twins in Hogsmeade, I stumbled upon Professor Slughorn and he was saying things about Voldemort," Harry said, almost rolling his eyes at the shudder that crossed most of the wizards in the room. "I… oh, hell, I got him drunk," he said not caring about the reactions it got, which were most amusing, he had to say. "He gave me the memory of a conversation between him and Riddle, about horcruxes so I gathered that he did make horcruxes and that it was why he wasn't killed by the Killing Curse. There is only one left now and it's Voldemort's snake."

He looked right at Dumbledore when he said that and the man understood that Harry knew it wasn't the truth. The old man gathered that Harry didn't want his friends to know and, the least he could do now, was to respect his wishes.

"What were the horcruxes and how did you destroy them?" Kinglsey asked as he spoke up for the first time of the reunion.

"Well, there was a diary that was destroyed in my first year," he said and all the Weasley shuddered, thinking about the youngest girl of the family. "A ring that Dumbledore destroyed himself. A locket, that was actually in Grimmauld Place because Regulus stole it when he left Voldemort. I called Dobby and asked him to talk to Kreacher on my behalf; Kreacher gave me the locket. Then, there was Ravenclaw's diadem that Scott and I came looking for in Hogwarts."

"You were in Hogwarts?" Tonks exclaimed.

"But, how?" Dumbledore asked.

Harry smiled a secretive smile and shook his head.

"Let's just say that I've got more than one trick up my sleeve. Now, as we were already inside the castle, we went to the Chamber to get the basilisk fangs and destroy the horcruxes with it. Since it 

worked for the first one, we thought it may do the same for the others. Finally, there was Hufflepuff's Cup that I asked Griphook to destroy inside Bella's vault."

"The Goblins helped you?" Bill asked, curious to hear that.

Harry nodded and processed to explain that he knew Griphook quite well and that as long as it didn't involve letting Harry in or stealing something, he would have helped as he was a customer and a friendly one at that. Plus, there was the fact that Voldemort would love to enslave the goblins if he acceded to power.

"And just a questions," Moody growled. "How can muggles help us with the war?"

"Alastor!" exclaimed Molly, scandalized by the lack of respect towards Harry's friend.

"Well, I would have been more subtle," Tonks said and everyone who knew her laughed at that. "Oh! Shut up! I can be subtle!"

"Sure could have fooled me," one of the twins grumbled and was shot a hard glare by the woman, before she continued her reflection.

"But I would like to know that too."

Everyone seemed curious about who exactly they were but Harry wasn't going to answer them so he looked at Scott, telling him silently that it was his choice to decided how much he wanted to reveal. Scott smiled to him and nodded before taking parole.

"I'm not sure how much you know about the situation in the muggle world," he began and he just couldn't believe how easily the terms of Harry's world were rolling on his tongue; before this summer, he would never have used a term like 'muggle'. "But there are people who have undergone a mutation; we call them mutants."

Some of them seemed to recognize the term and opened wide eyes, understanding what they were, including the Headmaster that couldn't believe he didn't realize it the night before. Others, though, just didn't understand.

"What do you mean by mutation?" Professor MacGonagall asked, thinking that it may have something to do with transfiguration; after all, the word 'mutation' was used in her domain of expertise.

"Basically, something in their internal structure changed slightly, giving them one, sometimes two, powers that others don't have."

"And you're mutants?" Moody growled.

"Problems with that, bub?" Logan asked, growling as well to show that he wasn't impressed and Harry and Scott exchanged a glance.

"Logan," Scott warned and the man abandoned the idea of showing his claws for now.

"So," George spoke up. "What kind of power have you got?"

Before his mother could scold him for asking, most mutants were smiling.

"Well, as I don't want to destroy anything in the house, I won't show mine," Scott said. "But I can send laser with my eyes."

"I can control the weather," Ororo said and she closed her eyes, concentrating.

It wasn't long before all inhabitant of the House that didn't know what she was doing were startled by the thunder clap that resonated just outside the house, when it had been big sunshine when they came in.

"I can heal myself from anything," Logan just said. "And I've got those."

With a 'snik', he showed his claws and Kinglsey, who was the closest, was startled and almost fell of his chair when he retreated in a brusque move.

Without waiting anymore, Kurt disappeared from his chair to appear at the other side of the room and then back again, each time with a bit of smoke.

"I can teleport," he simply said. "And I'm blue."

Some laughed out loud at that but were beginning to enjoy the demonstration.

"I can't make myself immaterial," Kitty said and processed to phase herself though the table in front of them.

"I can create and manipulate ice in all its properties," Bobby stated and processed to make ice rose, to give to Rogue, the same way he had done the first time he had seen her.

She accepted with a grateful smile and then held her hand out to Dumbledore, the one that seemed the most powerful there and less likely to sustain any damage, which he accepted and soon was paling a bit. She let go of him and sat down once again.

"I can take people energy."

All the people in the kitchen were silent and awed until Fred broke the silence.

"That's brilliant!" he said and soon everyone was bursting with energy.

The Headmaster was there to remind everyone that there was no time for playing now and asked the questions that he had wanted to.

"Do you think it's wise to fight with us and let the students fight?" he asked, wanting to know.

"We haven't taken all of our students with us, Mister Dumbledore," Scott said. "Only the one who are part of the X-Men."

"You're the X-Men?" Tonks exclaimed, jaw hanging, and apparently Kinglsey was in the same state as her.

"Wait, you know what the X-Men are?" Harry asked, puzzled.

He had never heard of them while he was in the Wizarding world so he found it a bit strange.

"Of course, everyone in the auror department knows about them. Damn, of course they will be able to help us!"

Soon, everyone was asking questions about the X-Men and the mutants were all discuting with the Order about what they were, what they did, how they knew Harry and all of this. The young wizard was a bit in retreat but, thankfully, there were all so absorbed by the conversation they didn't notice.

Dumbledore did, though and went to talk to him.

"You didn't tell them," he stated.

"That I'm going to die? Only Logan knows. He can smell lies so I wasn't able to fool him", he informed. "I just didn't want them to pity me, you know. It was good to live like I was normal for once."

Dumbledore sighed, looking more worn out that Harry had never seen him.

"I'm sorry Harry. I wish there was something I could do to relieve you from that burden. I would have taken your place if it was possible."

"I know, Professor, thank you. And thank you for the ring, too. I… I lost it in the Forest, it's too dangerous to have but I've been able to talk to my parents and Sirius."

"You're wiser than me, Harry. I don't know if I could have done it. But it was the best choice."

Harry nodded but, suddenly, a bright light was flooding the kitchen. Harry frowned in seeing that it was a patronus but, as soon as Dumbledore understood the message, it became clear that it was bad.

"Hogwarts is under attack," Dumbledore announced.

Everyone, even the mutants, even Harry, was ready to go there immediately and they began to pile up in front of the fireplace. It was still the easiest and quickest way to go to the school. Scott pulled Harry by the hand and dragged him to a place where no one could see them.

"Promise me to be careful, Harry," he pleaded and Harry could only nod, knowing that, as soon as they were inside the castle, he would break that promise.

Harry kissed him for what he knew to be the last time and he had a hard time keeping the tears at bay.

"I love you," he murmured as their lips parted.

"I love you too," he was answered and then they went back to the others and, soon, Scott disappeared through the fireplace, leaving only Logan and Harry in the house.

"Goodbye, Scott," he murmured before turning to the feral. "Look after him," Harry said and the sobs in his voice were painfully obvious to Logan.

"I will. I will miss you, kid," he added in an uncharacteristic bit of emotion.

Harry smiled and then processed to watch Logan go through the fire before going himself, with the idea in his head that he would be dead before the end of the day.


	17. Chapter 16

**Title**: Harry Potter and the Horcruxes' Quest

**Genre**: slight AU, crossover (HP/X-men), slash

**Characters**: Harry/Scott, cast

**Disclaimer**: Characters are not mine; they belong to their respective creators

**Summary**: After OotP, Harry decides to run away in order to train to be ready to face Voldemort. He goes to find the one person he trusted as a child: Scott Summer. Sparks fly. Spoilers for HBP and DH.

**Note**: This chapter has not been beta-readed and English is not my first language. I hope it's still readable.

**_Thanks to all of those who reviewed!_**

_

* * *

_

Chapter 16

As soon as Logan and Harry arrived inside the castle, there were told that every teachers and students were barricaded inside the Great Hall; Harry was a bit puzzled by the development but gathered that they must have already been there were the alert was given and that there was no way for them to go back to someplace safe without troubles because they couldn't know where the enemies were.

Harry knew, however, that he couldn't go there. He had to find Voldemort. He didn't want the confrontation to happen in front of all the school. It was easier if it happened someplace else, someplace where he wouldn't have to watch his friends, whether they were mutants or wizards, plead for his life when he knew there was no chance of him surviving.

"I can't go there," Harry said to Logan. "I've got to find Voldemort and his snake. There is no need for anyone else to see what's going to happen."

The mutant nodded.

"Then I guess it's goodbye kid. I'll do my best with Scooter, I can promise you that much," he said before going his way, following the ghost that had to lead him to the Great Hall.

Harry, him, opened his mind just a bit and used a form of legilimency, along with the bond he shared with Voldemort, to locate the dark lord. He was relieved enough, if not a bit puzzled, that he was in the Shrieking Shack but, maybe, he was waiting for him to come to him. Maybe he was waiting for Harry to do the exact same thing as always and be the hero.

Well, who was Harry to disappoint him? Decidedly, he walked in direction of the Shack, not seeing where he was going, not seeing anything except the most important moments of his life, thinking back at how they made him feel. He was resigned but he was sure that he was going to first kill Nagini and then, then he would give his life for the others. He would make the ultimate sacrifice and he would see his parents and his godfather again.

He walked eerily in the night, crossing the park without being seen. Did Voldemort tell his followers not to bother looking for Harry? Did he tell them not to do anything if they were to see him? Maybe, he did. It wouldn't be that surprising; he wanted to be the one to kill the Boy-who-Lived, not one of his puppets.

As he was approaching the place where he knew his personal nemesis would be, he began to be more careful. He knew that for his plan to work, he had to be able to get rid of the snake before 

Voldemort was able to do anything and it really wouldn't do to have him see him first. No, it really wouldn't do.

Softly he approached and it seemed that luck was with him as he saw the familiar shape of Nagini ramping swiftly in between the grass, seeming to go to Voldemort. It seemed strange to Harry that Voldemort would be so unconcerned by what happen to his snake that he let her go around but, Harry thought, he had no idea that anyone knew about the horcruxes so why would anyone try to do something to his snake?

Unfortunately for the reptile, Harry couldn't allow her to return to her master and he casted the one curse that he had never wanted to cast ever again. Two words, two little words and a green light later and the snake was dead, a black smoke waving rapidly, with a murderous scream that was echoed from the Shrieking Shack and Harry couldn't help thinking that the old story about the ghost that haunted the place would once again begin.

The Dark Lord didn't wait for his victim any longer, but fuelled with anger at the death of his familiar, he left his hiding place and closed off on Harry who didn't move, didn't make a move to run but simply waited for Voldemort to stop before him.

"You killed her," he seethed. "Never mind, Potter, you shall pay dearly for that. But does the old fool know that his little golden boy has it in him to cast the Killing Curse?"

Harry knew that Voldemort wanted him angry, that he wanted him to let his rage run him and attack but he couldn't. He was going to die, what did he care what Dumbledore thought? What did he care what the Wizarding world thought? The only ones that mattered were his friend and, if they really were his friends, they would accept the idea that he could cast that unforgivable, the same way that his mutant friends did.

"Does it matter?" Harry asked, his tone oddly calm and it made Voldemort pause for a second.

The dark lord looked at Harry, contemplating him, trying to decide what to make of that new personality.

"So you don't care about that old goat anymore? I must admit I'm impressed Potter. I've heard that you spend the year away from Hogwarts and that Dumbledore couldn't find you. I was… very amused when it was reported to me. I would have been more amused if I was able to find you but, never mind, you made me laugh. It's a fate in itself. Too bad, it won't be enough to save you."

"No, I suppose it won't but, you know, if you go on chit-chatting with me, I'll begin to think that you don't have the gut to face me in a fight, not without all your little minions behind you to support you."

That was more than enough to make Voldemort forget all about his curiosity about the newfound Harry and get really angry.

"You're right, enough chit-chat. A last word before I kill you, Potter?"

"Yeah…. You won't win," he affirmed.

It was the end and Harry had to fight all his reflexes that were telling him to either run or fight back but not let the lethal light touch him. Still, he stayed silent and unmoving as he watched Voldemort raise his wands, heard him say the two words that would end his life and saw the green light that had haunted his nights before even being aware of magic. Then, he knew no more.

The battle was still raging when the doors opened to let enter Voldemort, unaccompanied by Nagini, but a victorious smile on his face. For no one, except his follower, could it mean anything good. Most people that saw that began to grow very worried about what had Voldemort in such a good mood and the Headmaster let a tear fall on his cheek, thinking about the student that, even though he had wronged in so many way, he still loved. Destiny was unfair but there was no escaping it; may Harry find peace in the afterlife.

The mutants were on their own side, keeping the death-eaters at bay but since most of them stopped fighting at the entrance of their master, as if waiting for his orders, they were able to talk a bit between themselves, especially at the strangeness of the enemy showing up.

"Wasn't Harry supposed to be with him?" Kitty asked, not very loudly so they would be the only ones to hear.

"Yeah," Scott affirmed. "He's probably killed the snake and retreated to join the battle. He's going to arrive soon to help."

While the students nodded, thinking that it made sense, Ororo looked at Logan and something in his face told her that he knew something they didn't and that he was convinced that Scott was wrong, even though he wished otherwise.

"Logan?" she asked, worries showing in her voice and that was enough to make everyone looking at the feral. "What do you know about what's happening that we don't?"

Logan's face closed off for a second before coming to a decision. Yes, he had told Harry that he wasn't going to say anything but the fact had already happened so it wasn't like he was breaking his promise. And it was maybe better if they could hear it from him and not Voldemort.

"He went to kill that snake but it wasn't the last horcrux. It was him," he said, in a manner very uncharacteristic for him.

Scott's face lost all its color and both Ororo and the kids were in shock. There was no word to describe what they were feeling. It was happening all over again, one of them dying to save all the others. It wasn't fair, it couldn't be true. Not again.

"Harry let Voldemort kill him?" Bobby asked, uncertainty and hope coloring his voice, as if he was waiting for Logan to say no, to say he had misunderstood. "He's dead?"

"And Voldemort is as mortal as any of us," he answered, showing that the young wizard's sacrifice had a reason.

Kitty had a hard time containing a sob but half of the pain she was feeling wasn't even for her. She was the only one of the students to know the real relationship between Scott and Harry and she hurt 

for him because that was twice in a year that he was losing one person that mattered the most for him and it just wasn't fair.

"It's not true, Logan?" Scott asked shakily, looking at him with so much sorrow that it was almost too much to bear.

All others' breath caught in their throat at the emotion showing in the mutant's eyes, at the tears they could see were on the verge of falling. It was so much worse than last year, not because Scott had been hurting less but, because, back then, there his glasses allowed him a protection against their gaze. Now, the raw emotions on his face were visible to all of them and it just made it so much more real.

Logan, in a move that surprised a lot of people, gently put his hand on their leader's arm and squeezed softly.

"I'm sorry, Scott."

And it was the use of his first name that convinced everyone that it wasn't a lie, that it wasn't a misunderstanding, but that Harry was really dead. Rogue almost flung herself at Bobby who, in his shock, mechanically hugged her against him. Kitty and Kurt were not in a better states and a prayer escaped, almost unnoticed, Kurt's lips as he was reciting it without ever taking notice of it. Ororo pulled her long time friend in a hug as he was biting his lips to the point of drawing blood, trying not to scream, or sob, or lose control, but unable to prevent some tears from falling down anyway.

And Logan was keeping an eye on them, watching the rest of the room for any danger, almost glad for the pause in the fight as everyone, whether they were death-eaters or light wizards, was watching Voldemort entering and crossing the room as if he owned the place, all eyes riveted on him as no one was paying attention to the mutants. Almost, because h could use something to lose himself in now but he knew he couldn't, couldn't because he had a promise to keep and he couldn't risk stopping watching over his friends long enough to lose himself in a fight, because it would be long enough for Scott to make one mistake, involuntarily or on purpose, and get himself killed. And he wouldn't break his promise.

And finally, finally, once in the middle of the room, surrounded by a crowd of people that would have been more than enough to defeat him and his death-eaters, but that couldn't move without their hero being there to fight in their place, Voldemort stopped and watched them, a smile that would have had most people running if their could still make their legs work on his face.

"Your savior is dead," he announced.


	18. Chapter 17

**Title**: Harry Potter and the Horcruxes' Quest

**Genre**: slight AU, crossover (HP/X-men), slash

**Characters**: Harry/Scott, cast

**Disclaimer**: Characters are not mine; they belong to their respective creators

**Summary**: After OotP, Harry decides to run away in order to train to be ready to face Voldemort. He goes to find the one person he trusted as a child: Scott Summer. Sparks fly. Spoilers for HBP and DH.

**Note**: This chapter has not been beta-readed and English is not my first language. I hope it's still readable.

**_Thanks to all of those who reviewed!_**

_

* * *

_

Chapter 17

Harry consciousness returned slowly to him and he realized that he still had sensations. He could fell the concrete under him as he was lying on his back. It wasn't cold, nor was it warm. It just was and it made him wonder how the afterlife was exactly. He opened his eyes and found himself looking at the sun. Why wasn't he blinded by it? It seemed so soft, yet he was aware that he could see around him as if the solar aster had been stronger than ever.

He first realized that he was naked and, even though it didn't seem than anyone but him was there, he still wasn't all that keen on being totally without clothes. Thankfully, a jeans and a shirt appeared in front of him as soon as he thought about that. He didn't question it immediately; he had too many questions already and he wasn't going to add too much on the list for now.

The place was strange. It was so clean, as if it had been a hospital, but without the smell and being outdoors. He could see everything with a clarity that had never been, even with his glasses or lenses.

He heard a small noise and his gaze was attracted by what looked like a child cowering in fear. On the other hand, he was certain that it wasn't that at all and that scared him more than facing Voldemort did. Strangely enough, he felt compelled to go to the small creature, thinking that maybe there was something he could do for him.

"You won't be able to help," a soft voice told him from behind him.

He turned around and looked at the woman that was there. She looked a bit like her mom but it wasn't her, he knew. She had red hair and green eyes, yes, but he could see the differences and it didn't take him all that long to figure it out.

"You're Jean?" he asked to make sure.

She gave him the softest smile he ever witnessed and inclined her head.

"Yes. Why don't you come with me Harry?" she asked, motioning with her head to the path behind her. "Let's walk a bit."

He nodded silently and followed her up to the moment where he couldn't bear not to ask anymore.

"Am I dead?"

She looked at him and shook her head before sitting down on what looked like a bench but way much cleaner.

"No, Harry, I don't think you're dead," she said, looking at him with gently eyes.

"But, I don't understand. I let him kill me, shouldn't I be dead?"

"Exactly. You let him kill you, you didn't try to defend yourself and that may be what saved you. What I'm going to tell you now, I was told before by someone else, someone who has knowledge of magic unlike me. I will try to answer your questions, but you know I've got no knowledge of your world?"

Harry nodded, understanding that she wouldn't be able to answer everything.

"When Voldemort came back to life, he used your blood to do so. That, along with the part of himself that was in you, made the link between the two of you so strong that, as long as he was alive, you would be alive too."

"I thought that it was the contrary. If I died, he would die. How is he going to be killed now, if I'm not dead?"

"You forget something, Harry. You weren't killed, no, but by casting the Aveda Kedavra, he destroyed something, something of himself. There is no more of him in you, Harry. He destroyed his last horcrux without even knowing he had done so. He never realized that a part of his soul went to you that night."

"So, he destroyed the horcrux, but he still has my blood, no? So if I kill him, won't I die too?"

"No, Harry," Jean reassured. "The link is not strong enough now. You're not linked anymore and your fate won't be linked to his anymore."

Harry thought about it and he had a hundred questions swimming in his head but he knew she wouldn't be able to answer them, she wouldn't know the answers and, suddenly, he thought about something.

"Don't you know what I'm thinking about?" he asked and she laughed.

"No, Harry, not here. Powers don't work here, this is why you don't have your wand with you."

Harry frowned.

"If I'm not dead, are you? I mean…"

"I know what you mean, Harry, but I'm really dead. You're in a sort of limbo, of your creation may I add, and I've just been send here to explain what happened to you. I chose to die that day, Harry, because I knew it was the right thing to do and I would do the same all over again. I'm sure that you better than anyone can understand that."

Harry nodded.

"He misses you," he said finally, looking at her, right in the eyes.

"And I miss him too but I'm happy he found happiness again. And I will watch over him, watch over the both of you. You deserve happiness, both of you, and I'm glad you found each other. You have been so good to him, Harry."

"He has been good to me, too," he added. "You said that you would watch over both of us, does that mean that I'm going back?"

"It's your choice, Harry," she said, getting up and holding out her hand for him to do the same. "We're at the crossroad. I've been sent here to offer you that choice too."

"We're at the crossroad? But, where it is?"

"Well, you're the one that chose. Why don't you tell me because I've no idea?"

Harry looked around and recognized it finally, even thought it was much cleaner and brighter than usual, and totally empty, which was very odd.

"It's King Cross, the train station!" he exclaimed and looked in awe at the Hogwarts Express which was now on the rails. "So what do I do?"

"As I said, Harry, it's your choice. You can get up in the train and go on or you can choose to go back and fight, but I cannot decide for you."

"I already know my choice. But why you? I'm very glad to have met you but I don't understand why."

Jean smiled to him softly.

"Because you can't have any loved one giving you the choice, it would influence you too much. It could have been someone you just knew in passing or someone you knew but wouldn't do any rash for. Or it could be a stranger but never someone too close or your parents would have come."

"I choose to go back and fight him. I've got to much left to leave for."

Jean smiled brightly this time, as if it was the answer she was hoping for, and hugged him.

"Tell him goodbye for me and that I'm very glad that you boys have found each others. Now go back, Harry. And I'm very glad to have met you too."

As soon as the words left her mouth, Harry saw the Hogwarts Express leave the station and the world started to darken once again. Soon he was in a total darkness, feeling the damp ground below him, kind of cold and that when he realized that it hadn't been a dream, hadn't been a hallucination, but that he was really back in Hogwarts.

He quickly got up, took the wand that was lying at his side, Voldemort apparently deciding that he didn't have to worry having let it there. He looked at the direction of the castle and saw some reflect of colored rays of light that was suggesting that spells were being used. Now, it was time to end that war once and for all. And he had the effect of surprise for him.

He ran to the place where he knew that the face to face was taking place and silently crept in the Great Hall without anyone noticing. There were all facing in silent horror Voldemort that continued his speech while his death-eaters were choosing targets. They were trying to help, as were the X-Men, but they just couldn't take Voldemort out, he was too strong and most of his death-eaters were protected by him. Harry would have first dispatched the death-eaters but he couldn't afford to do so. 

Not only would he reveal his presence, but he also knew that Snape was there and, as much as he disliked the guy, he really didn't want to kill him.

Harry also noticed that Voldemort's curses didn't seem to have a full effect on the people he was touching. Apparently, it was the thought that counted and Harry having chosen to make the ultimate sacrifice, like his mother before him, to save them all had given them the same protection he had beneficed as an infant.

The death-eaters' curses, on the other hand, didn't seem to be affected and some of them were downright nasty. Harry didn't know how much of it he could handle but he was waiting for an opportunity and he wanted to make a good entrance, an entrance that would destabilize Voldemort enough to make him lose his edge and make his killing him possible.

It was strange to listen to him brag about his death when he was clearly still alive and when he looked at his friends, were they from Hogwarts or New York, he could see the sorrow and he hated himself to make them feel like that. But it wouldn't be long now, any moment and he would reveal his presence, reveal the fact that he wasn't dead, that he had come back and finally, the right moment presented itself.

Oh, he wasn't sure if it was right but there were no other choice. Not when he heard Voldemort, who had apparently realized that his spells weren't working very well, tell one of his death-eaters to teach a lesson to those who had decided to get inside a war that weren't them to fight alongside of someone who clearly had no chance of winning.

He saw someone, someone that had to be Bellatrix Lestrange by the look of it – and didn't take just make it even easier for Harry to act – point her want at Kurt and cast a _crucio_. He knew how much these hurt, especially done by someone that was as bad as her and he couldn't let his blue little friend being the target of her spell so he did the only thing he could think of and pushed his way through the crowd that had been too entranced by the atrocities to notice his presence.

"Protego!" he roared, creating a shield so powerful in front of Kurt that the spell was not only stopped but went back to her and she had to duck to avoid it.

Soon, lots of whisper and screaming of joy began to fuse when they realized just who it was that had intervened. Most people were marveling and even Dumbledore seemed in a daze. Voldemort, on the other hand, was showing signs of nervousness because, if there was something that Harry had seen scared Voldemort, it was ghosts, but he quickly concealed it with anger.

"I killed you!" he screamed and his death-eaters stopped attacking, wanting to watch what was going on and how their master was going to act not that Potter was back in the game.

"I got better," he shrugged and suddenly the hall was silent.

Harry spared a glance at his friend and saw them look at him in wonder, most of them smiling even thought they knew that nothing was won, but a renewed hope surging through them. Ron and Hermione were in the front line, as was most of the DA, the young girl clutching the redhead arm, smiling through her tears and Ron's face looked like Christmas had come early. Harry smiled, thinking that they may have finally decided to get together.

Ginny stood just behind her mom, the Weasley's matriarch obviously having been protecting her even if it had to cost her her own life; she didn't want to lose her daughter, not after hearing the news that the one she considered her seventh son was dead. Most of her family was sporting relieved faces and the youngest seemed like she could have fainted from happiness.

Luna and Neville were side by side, both of them standing, chin high, so different from the people they had been during their first years, outcastes and ridiculed by all. Now they were some of the leader of the fight amongst the student and it showed in their demeanor.

He briefly sought out Scott in the crowd, not visibly enough for Voldemort to notice because he couldn't put such a sign on his head but just enough to see that he was shocked and happy and wore another thousand of emotions that Harry didn't have time to examine but he was assured by Logan's presence at his lover's side that he would be okay for the time being.

As both enemies had begun to walk around each other in circle, Harry raised his voice, letting it carry through the hall.

"I don't want anyone to help. It has to be me," he said and he knew that most of them wouldn't be able to do anything anyway, not with them being almost unable to even breathe.

The last stand wasn't all that wonderful, it wasn't all that marvelous. It was very quiet, there weren't spell shooting left and right, actually there were no spell at all for the most part. Harry explained, gaining time, what had happened, why he wasn't dead and why the others couldn't be killed by Voldemort. He said out loud that yes, he had meant to die and it was what had saved him even though Voldemort couldn't understand it, couldn't understand love. He didn't know the power that he didn't have and when they both lifted their wand, none of them hesitated.

Most were surprised by what happened. All thought that Harry wouldn't have used the Killing Curse, all but the mutants who had seen him capable to do so if it was to protect those he loved. Rogue's mind went back to when she had seen him cast it for the first time, cast it on the one who was going to kill Scott and she understood then what she had seen that day, she understood the depth of her friend's feeling for their leader, by the way he had said that love would be what Voldemort would never understand and was the most powerful fuel of all.

Both spell collided in the middle of the room, the same connection than in fourth year would have been created hadn't Harry filled his spell with Love. He had finally understood exactly what Dumbledore meant by love being the strongest power of all. Magic, magic was fuelled by emotions, by intention, like he had been able to see during his life, what he had seen during his stint at the Ministry when Bellatrix had explained to him that rightful anger couldn't fuel the _Cruciatus_. He hadn't totally understood back then what it was to fuel the spell with an emotion. But now he did.

Voldemort wanted to kill him, he wanted to see him dead yes, but only for himself. That was the only goal he had at that moment, prove the world that he could beat Harry Potter. Harry, him, didn't want to see Voldemort dead. It wasn't what he had in mind. What he wanted was to protect the ones he loved and that was the emotion that cursed through him and through his curse as he sent it.

His spell blasted trough Voldemort's, evaporating it and went straight to the Dark Lord's chest. He didn't have time to realize that it was the end for him. Now, he was blasted with it, in such a powerful blow that he hadn't the time to get past the shock before it hit him and he fell to the ground, dead.

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A/N: Some may find strange that I wrote Harry killing Voldemort using the Killing Curse and not the Expelliarmus, like in the book, but my reasonning is: he already used it once, so he can do it again, especially against Voldemort and, second, the Expelliarmus was able to kill Voldemort in the book because he had the Wand, the Deadly Hallow, which he doesn't have this time around.


	19. Chapter 18

**Title**: Harry Potter and the Horcruxes' Quest

**Genre**: slight AU, crossover (HP/X-men), slash

**Characters**: Harry/Scott, cast

**Disclaimer**: Characters are not mine; they belong to their respective creators

**Summary**: After OotP, Harry decides to run away in order to train to be ready to face Voldemort. He goes to find the one person he trusted as a child: Scott Summer. Sparks fly. Spoilers for HBP and DH.

**Note**: This chapter has not been beta-readed and English is not my first language. I hope it's still readable.

**_Thanks to all of those who reviewed!_**

_

* * *

_

Chapter 18

The explosion in the Great Hall was almost instantaneous. People were jumping up and down, most of them happier than in a very long time, others weeping for their loved ones who had died before the end of the battle. The death-eaters were trying to escape, some of them succeeding, most being captured before they were out by the Orders, who would probably present them to the Ministry of Magic's employers when they arrived.

Most people wished to talk to Harry but all he did was to dismiss them with some gestures of the hand. He wanted to go to his friends, not some stranger, but they weren't all together. Normally, it would have been a dilemma to choose except that there was one person he could wait to see again.

His eyes met Luna's first and he saw in her gaze that she understood and would tell the others that he had something to do first. He accepted it because she knew beforehand, because she had seen the pain that his death had brought and she knew that he had to go to his lover before he could even think about talking to his friends and she was the only one he could rely on to make them understand.

As he finally arrived in front of the group of mutants, he was swapped in a hug by Rogue and the two other boys clapped his back. Ororo was only watching but he could see that she was happy too. Kitty would probably have done the same thing as Rogue, as soon as he was released, hadn't she known that there was someone else that first wanted to welcome Harry back to life, someone who had more right than them even is she and Logan were the only ones to know it.

Harry gently released Rogue, kissing her forehead, before looking at Scott. He knew what he wanted to do, more than anything else, but something held him back. It wasn't his decision to make and he couldn't do that without his lover's consent. It didn't seem to matter thought, because the mutant apparently wanted the same thing as him and had no qualm about their positions, under the stares of all people that were still in the Great Hall, of their friends, of the Orders, of the whole student boy, and some of their enemies still here. None of it mattered.

In one swift move, he pulled Harry to him and kissed him passionately, too happy to be able to do that again to even think about their surroundings. Harry, more than happy to oblige, linked his arms around his neck and lost himself in the kiss, not hearing the gasps from their friends around them. He had been so sure than he would never get to hold Scott again that it was heaven to be in his arms, even thought they were soon brought back to reality by the sound of whistle and clapping around them.

The two of them separated and, as they were about to take a step back, Harry brought his lips to Scott's ear.

"She approves," he murmured, knowing that his lover would understand and he didn't disappoint.

Looking intently at Harry, he nodded and mouthed a 'thank you' before finally letting go of the boy. They were the center of everyone attention and Harry, too happy to blush, just looked around. Logan wore a smirk that didn't surprise him and Kitty had a ten-thousand watts smile that proved that she was happy for them and glad that they were finally out. Maybe now, she would get to discuss it with her friends.

Ororo didn't look overly surprised by the revelation and it wasn't all that strange. She had known Scott for a very long time and it wasn't maybe all that stunning that she had been able to see through the act. The three others, on the other hand, were simply floored. Rogue had realized Harry's feeling for Scott at the moment of the final confrontation but she would never have guessed that they had been together and her and Kurt couldn't believe they had missed that. Bobby, for his part, couldn't believe that Harry had let him believe that his pinning on Scott was a totally one-sided thing. The young wizard smiled to show them that he was sorry but they could understand their reasoning, especially since they were still teacher and pupil.

The most surprised, though, were Harry's Hogwarts friend. Both Ron and Hermione were gaping like fish when they saw Harry kissing Scott but they couldn't say they were too bothered by it. It helped that in the Wizarding world, homosexuality was far more accepted than in the muggle one. And Hermione had always been very open-minded. They were a bit surprised that they hadn't been told.

Luna already knew so there was no surprise on the part, except maybe that they would reveal themselves in public like that. Though it may have been more because they had thought they would never see each other again, she reflected. All the same, she smiled at them and let show that she already knew Scott.

Ginny and Neville were not as shocked as Harry's best friends, maybe because they hadn't thought they knew everything about the boy to begin with, contrary to Ron and Hermione. Ginny was grateful that he hadn't chosen to reveal that he had someone when she was still in love with him but she had gotten over her crush a long time ago and Neville couldn't care less with whom Harry was as long as he was happy.

Harry knew that the adults would probably being more problematic, because of the age difference between him and Scott but it didn't change the fact that it was perfectly legal. Thankfully, he didn't think anyone would say a remark in the middle of the brouhaha that still filled the Great Hall. He would probably hear about it the day after though and he wasn't looking forwards to it.

What he knew was that he wanted to be with all his friends but no one else at the moment, so he looked at Scott and mouthed him.

"A party in the common room, with my friends?"

The mutant nodded and the ones behind that had read his lips were almost jumping up and down with joy. They wouldn't mind getting to know Harry's friends and it was the perfect occasion.

Harry looked at his friend and motioned silently for them to join them in the corridor, which they understood without any problems. Getting out of the Hall revealed to be more problematic that he had anticipated but, finally, they managed and were in a lot less occupied corridor, free to speak again.

All the mutants went directly back to the quarters, knowing it would be better for Harry to face his friends alone and Scott dropped a kiss on his lips, squeezing his hand, before going with the rest of them. Harry stayed it the corridor and turned to the five witches and wizard that were there.

It didn't take long for Hermione to fling herself at her friend.

"I missed you so much Harry, but I understand why you left. Thank you for the letters, thought," she said, probably more reasonable that she would have been at the moment of his departure.

"I should have written more," Harry admitted. "But I was too afraid that Dumbledore would somehow find where I was, you know…"

"Yeah," Ginny said with a smirk. "Wouldn't have wanted that, do you? Would have put an end to your love life."

"Ginny!" Hermione gasped, outraged while all the other burst in laughing.

"You got that right, Gin'," Harry approved, with a smirk that he would never have dared the year before.

"Damn, you've changed mate!" Ron exclaimed, saying what everyone, except maybe Luna, thought inside.

"I did?" Harry questioned.

Sure, he felt different. Better, more confident in his own abilities, but he wasn't sure if it was only inside him or if other could see it too. It seemed that it wasn't only in his mind.

"Yeah," Neville approved. "But it's a good thing. You're more… Harry now."

Harry looked puzzled. What the hell did he meant by that?

"What Neville wants to say," Hermione interrupted, seeing that he wasn't understanding. "It's that you're acting more like anyone else, not like the Boy-who-Lived. Since fourth year, you weren't Harry anymore, you were the hero that everyone expected you to be and… it was different, more artificial. Now, we can see that you're really you once again; it reminds me of our first year, only more mature. It has done you a lot of good to be in the States."

The others nodded, showing their agreement with Hermione's analysis of the situation. Harry too could understand what she meant and he did feel it, feel freer to act like he wanted. Since he left the Dursley, he had always acted like he wanted; yes, he still had done all he could to fight Voldemort but he would have done so even without the prophecy, even without anyone telling him, because it was the right thing to do and it just was who it was. He didn't have to maintain this image of him anymore and he knew that his friends would have to spend some times with him to get to know that new him.

"Why don't we join your friends, now, Harold? They seemed most excited to get to know us," Luna interrupted the chit-chat, reminding them that they were expected somewhere.

"Alright, Luna," Harry agreed. "And, guys, I know that you all have a lot of questions on the why and what and all that but, let's not do it tonight. I'm going to stay here for a while and we have time to do that soon enough, tonight let's just celebrate the fact that we're alright and the war has ended."

Both Ron and Hermione looked as if they wanted to protest. Harry was their best friend, the third of their trio, and they didn't like not knowing what he had been up to but, before they even had time to open their mouth, Ginny piped up.

"Alright, plus I want to know them…. Especially your boyfriend. What's his name anyway?"

They had all begun to walk in the direction they had seen the mutants go, Ginny first and Harry ran up to close up to her.

"Scott, and you better behave!" he threatened with a growl not that unlike Logan's.

"I'm the little sister, I've got every right to pester you!" she said, sticking her tongue and beginning to run.

Harry went after her and soon, they all were running. Harry, with all the exercise he had gotten during the year, was the most in shape and he soon passed by Ginny and ran up to the portrait. He stopped there and waited for the other to arrive, breathless.

"Damn, mate, what the hell have you been doing to get like that?"

"Train with Logan," was Harry dry answer. "And trust me, if you get to know him, you will understand."

"You sure it was only Logan you were exercising with," Ginny leered. "Oh did you discover some other way of wasting energy."

"You don't need to be crude, Ginny," Hermione chided while Neville and Ron went bright red under the allusion.

Luna was smiling, as if outside the conversation, when inside she was laughing. They were such prude, except for Ginny. And Harry, apparently. But she already knew that because, no matter how careful he was, he certainly wasn't able to fool her and she knew for a fact that no matter what everyone thought, his fifth year hadn't been only about Cho.

"As a matter of fact, you're right Ginny. But don't go around thinking that it wasn't a way I used back in fifth year," he said with a smirk. "I got a few people that could testify."

No matter the fact that he would never give their name. He had promised he wouldn't and he wasn't one to break his words. Beside, it wasn't important now; he had Scott and it was all that mattered. Of course, the man knew about Harry's one-night-stands, there had been no reason to hide it, the same way that Scott had told him everything about Jean. They wouldn't have wanted a relationship built on secrets and half-truths.

Ginny's jaw crashed to the floor while Hermione sputtered. Ron did a very good imitation of a gold-fish and Harry thought that the talent had o run in the family, after the way that Fred and George had done it when they met Kurt. Neville took the information with moderate calm and thought that it explained a bit Harry's erratic behavior last year.

"But I'm not going to make an overview of my sex life. Now, why don't we go in, because I'm sure that Logan is getting tired of listening to us, and no talking about anything to embarrass any of my friends, please?"

They all nodded and went in; no one was surprised by the entry, mostly for the reason to which Harry had alluded, namely that Logan could hear them talk across the painting. They were all sitting around, mostly on the ground, with only Ororo and Logan sitting in the armchairs. Even Scott was just back to the sofa and they were all too tired to get up even though too wired to go to sleep.

Harry introduced everyone before dropping to the ground, in front of Scott, who made place between his legs so the young man could lean on him. They may have wanted to party but now that all the adrenaline was down, there was no way to stay up. They talked for a while but, before long, all theirs eyelids, except for Logan, were dropping. Ororo was a bit better than most, but not by much and Scott may have been worse, after the rollercoaster of emotions he had been subjected to. He put his chin on Harry's shoulder and closed his eyes, clearly on the verge of falling asleep. A small smile on his lips, said wizard decided that they wouldn't do anymore that night and it just was no use stay up.

"We should go to sleep," he spoke up, startling Scott who wasn't expecting it, before turning to his wizards' friend. "You can stay here. My room will be free."

There was no reason keeping pretending that he was sleeping alone when it wasn't the case.

"Mine too," Rogue said and Bobby startled before looking worriedly at Logan.

The mutant growled, glaring at the boy and Rogue intervened

"Just sleeping, Logan. Don't want to be alone right now."

The feral looked a moment and then relented, he could understand and he knew both teenagers were too wiped out to do anything beside sleep. He would still have a chat with the boy come morning.

"I'll stay here," he said. "One of you can take my room.

Ron got up first, sorry that he couldn't stay.

"Ginny and I have better go to our mom if we don't want her worrying too much. She's probably going to take us sleep home or at the headquarter."

They could understand that and said goodbye to the two redheads while the others agreed to go to the room that had been freed.

A few minutes later and Harry was spooned against Scott, playing with his hair, looking at him. They hadn't gone out of their clothes, just taking off their shoes and too tired to do anything else. Harry was beginning to find the silence worrisome when Scott talked.

"You died," he said, his voice void of all emotion except exhaustion.

Harry gulped. What could he say? Sorry I decided to commit suicide but it was for the greeted good, I hope you understand?

"I'm sorry, Scott. I didn't want to but I didn't have a choice. When I did, I chose to come back. I… I was given the choice to go in the afterlife or to come back and find and, a year ago, I would have chosen death. You're the reason I didn't. You're the reason I chose to live."

In a swift move, Harry found himself on his back, with his lover face hidden in his neck, half on him, half on the bed, not shaking, not crying, not doing anything but lie there and breath in his sent. Harry put his arms around him and held him close, giving him the comfort he needed and taking the reassurance he himself was craving. They were still like this when they drifted off in a restful sleep.


	20. Epilogue

_**Title**: Harry Potter and the Horcruxes' Quest_

**Genre**: slight AU, crossover (HP/X-men), slash

**Characters**: Harry/Scott, cast

**Disclaimer**: Characters are not mine; they belong to their respective creators

**Summary**: After OotP, Harry decides to run away in order to train to be ready to face Voldemort. He goes to find the one person he trusted as a child: Scott Summer. Sparks fly. Spoilers for HBP and DH.

**Note**: This chapter has not been beta-readed and English is not my first language. I hope it's still readable.

**_Thanks to all of those who reviewed!_**

* * *

Epilogue

The last day of school was finally there and it was time for everyone to go back home. Harry was looking forward to it for the first time in his life. Of course, he knew that he could have gone days ago, at the same time as the mutants, but he had wanted to stay, mostly to give a hand to the Professor MacGonagall.

Indeed, she was now the Headmistress of Hogwarts, Dumbledore having passed away very soon after the last stand against Voldemort, because of the curse he had been subjected to when he had put on the ring. Harry had been there for that and had forgiven him, letting him go in peace.

To help MacGonagall, he had mostly taken over the first year classes, respecting the program she had made, to give her some time to deal with the Ministry and the parents' questions.

The bright side of thing was that it gave him quite some time to talk with his friends, so they could go over everything that happened during the year, everything that hadn't been addressed during the 'party'. They could see that Harry had been happy for the first time since they had known him.

But now was the time to say goodbye. He wasn't taking the train like the others but Storm was supposed to come and get him in Hogsmeade.

"Thank you for your help, Mister Potter. After everything that happened, you would have had every right to just leave," she said, grateful that he had done it.

"It is still my world. Plus, if I want to be able to take up my classes next year, it would be best in the school was still in function."

"You're coming back, mate?" Ron exclaimed.

While Harry had said goodbye to Ginny, Luna and Neville the night before, he had wanted to say bye to his two oldest friends at the time of his departure.

"Of course! But I will go back in New York during the holidays and I doubt I will come back to England after the NEWTs. But, yes, I'm coming next year."

Hermione rushed to hug him excitedly.

"It will be so much fun, Harry!" she said.

Harry offered them a smile and told them what the Professor had said to him before.

"You know that you're welcome to visit me at Xavier's," he said. "Why don't I write to you during the summer and we can arrange something."

"That would be so cool," Ron exclaimed.

"And you know, Mister Potter, that your friends are more than welcome to come to Hogwarts whenever they want," McGonagall assured him.

Harry inclined his head and thanked her.

"I will make sure to pass on the message. Now, I've got to go. I don't want to keep Miss Munroe waiting for too long."

His friends told him goodbye once again and, after a hug from Hermione and a one-armed one from Ron, Harry made his way to Hogsmeade. He arrived at the same time as the jet landed and, when he approached, Harry was stunned to see that only Ororo was there.

"Scott was detained at the school," she told him, seeing that he was wondering.

Harry nodded and took place in the co-pilot seat. Not that he actually knew how to fly the jet, but he could stay without touching anything. The journey was fast, Harry narrating what had happened during the last few days.

"We missed you, Harry," Ororo said with a smile.

"Missed you guys too. It's good to be coming back."

They arrived without as much as a problem and, soon, they were crossing the threshold of the mansion. All the kids were either out in the garden or inside the common room, so they didn't come and greet them but the X-Men did and, among them, Scott.

The latter crossed the little distance that was still between him and Harry and kissed him to welcome him back; now that it wasn't a secret anymore, there was no reason not to show anything to anyone. Harry responded enthusiastically and, after breaking the kiss, rested his forehead against his lover's.

"Welcome home," Scott murmured.

"It's good to be back," he admitted and closed his eyes, breathing deeply.

Yes, he was finally home after all these years…


End file.
